Cabinet Office

Prime Minister: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many domestic flights for the purposes of government business were taken by the Prime Minister in the (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23 financial years.

Alex Burghart: Cabinet Office ministers’ transparency data, including details of flights taken by the Prime Minister, is published on GOV.UK on a quarterly basis. I would also refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers of Official Report, 24 February 2023, PQ 143904 and of Official Report, 12 June 2023, PQ 188221

Members: Correspondence

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 188494, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether those rules were breached.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office does not routinely comment on internal assessments, whether they have happened or not.

Buildings: Repairs and Maintenance

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to compile a list of public buildings affected by construction with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office’s Office of Government Property is establishing a Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Working Group. Objectives include understanding the scale of the issue, developing a register of Government buildings impacted, and sharing remedial best practices. Responsibility for safety of individual buildings remains with departments, their arms-length bodies and wider organisations. To address property condition and safety issues such as RAAC more widely, in September 2022 the Office of Government Property established the Better Buildings programme on behalf of the Government Property Function.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 185881 on Cabinet Office: Staff, how is work allocated to digital media officers within the Department; and who determines which events they attend.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 185881 on Cabinet Office: Staff, how many engagements Cabinet Office digital media officers attended in the last 12 months; and how many of those were also attended by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a Cabinet Office digital media officer accompanied the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to an event in Parliament on 12 June 2023.

Alex Burghart: Digital officers' work is allocated in discussion between the Cabinet Office Communications team, policy teams and ministerial private offices. Allocation depends on a range of factors including subject, location and staff availability. As a result, digital media officers attend various events with Ministers as and when needed.

Treasury: Darlington

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2023 to Question 188796 on Treasury: Darlington, what progress has made on commercial negotiations over that site; and when he expects these negotiations to conclude.

Alex Burghart: The Government Property Agency is responsible for commercial negotiations, which are ongoing and therefore commercially sensitive.

Treasury: Darlington

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the maximum occupancy capacity of the Darlington Economic Campus at Feethams House is.

Alex Burghart: Feethams House currently has 300 work-points. Work is underway to increase capacity prior to the construction of the new permanent home on the Brunswick site. The Darlington Economic Campus forms an important part of the Government's Places for Growth (PfG) programme – an initiative that supports the commitment to relocate 22,000 roles outside of London and the South East by 2030. The DEC permanent solution will accommodate over 1,400 civil servants.

Ministers: Social Media

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department issues on the use of civil servant-produced digital content on Ministers' personal social media.

Alex Burghart: Governments and ministers of all political parties have always used a wide variety of media to help inform the public about issues which may affect their lives.We are now in a digital age, and social media channels are therefore an important part of government, ministers’ and parliamentarians’ communications. In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance .

Office for Veterans' Affairs: Civil Servants

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2023 to Question 184899 on Office for Veterans' Affairs: Civil Servants, how many civil servants worked in the private office of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs as of 15 May 2023; and at what grades..

Johnny Mercer: Statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including regional, diversity and earnings data, are published in the usual way to ensure they meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to take steps to hold a ceremony for nuclear test veterans receiving medallic recognition.

Johnny Mercer: Nuclear Test Veterans played a valuable role towards developing a nuclear deterrent that has ultimately kept Britain safe for decades. This Government is committed to ensuring they receive the recognition they deserve. That is why in November 2022, the Government hosted an event at the National Memorial Arboretum, at which a new commemorative medal to mark the contribution of Nuclear Test Veterans was announced by the Prime Minister.

Cabinet Office: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to sub-target two of the Greening Government Commitments reporting requirements for 2021 to 2025 last updated on 15 December 2022, whether his Department follows the encouragement in that guidance to (a) monitor and (b) report on the number of domestic flights for which his Department is responsible each year.

Jeremy Quin: The Cabinet Office’s reporting on the Greening Government Commitments are set out in the cross-government annual reports, published on gov.uk (most recently in April 2023).

Nurses: Industrial Diseases

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to release statistics on (a) covid-19 and (b) other workplace-related illness and deaths among the nursing workforce broken down by ethnicity.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon Lady's Parliamentary Question of 9 June is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 107.4KB)

Government Departments: Data Protection

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to protect information classified as secret or above in the event of the theft of a Government electronic device.

Jeremy Quin: Information classified as SECRET or above, should only be managed on appropriately encrypted devices. Such devices are secured by robust physical, procedural and personnel security measures. In addition, any encrypted devices that provide for access to SECRET information are also architected to mitigate the risk of theft or loss.

Department of Health and Social Care

Halton Hospital: Construction

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for the completion of the Halton Hospital and Wellbeing Campus.

Will Quince: We received an expression of interest to be one of the next eight hospitals to join the New Hospital Programme from Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The expression of interest is in respect of both Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospital and Halton General Hospital.We have assessed the expressions of interest received and the Government aims to make an announcement in due course. Whilst this process is ongoing, we are unable to comment on individual plans.

NHS: Pay

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason employees contracted by the NHS are not entitled to the Agenda for Change staff level pay increases; and whether he has made an estimate of the additional funding required to provide a pay increase on that basis to those employees.

Will Quince: Individuals employed directly by the National Health Service on Agenda for Change contract are entitled to the pay award agreed by the NHS Staff Council on 2 May. Where the NHS contracts out services to independent providers or other local public sector organisations, it is for those employers to determine pay, terms and conditions and eligibility for pay rises.No assessment has been made of the full cost of passing on the non-consolidated awards for 2022/23 to all staff employed by NHS contractors. An assessment has been made of the cost of passing on the consolidated award for 2023/24, and additional funding for this will be provided in the normal way.

Yellow Card Scheme

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2022 to Question 188102 on Yellow Card Scheme, how the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recorded medical device incidents before 2015.

Will Quince: Prior to 2015, reports of incidents with medical devices were reported on different forms available on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website. The reports were then automatically loaded and made available for assessment on the Adverse Incident Tracking System, the MHRA’s internal database.

NHS: Facsimile Transmission

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spent on fax machines in 2022.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spent on paper in 2022.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spent on postage in 2022.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spent on (a) printers and (b) paper scanners in 2022.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally.

Medical records

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spent on (a) implementing digital data standards and (b) ending the use of paper records in each year since 2014.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally. There is no National Health Service programme with a set objective to end the use of paper records. In 2022 we agreed £2 billion to digitise the frontline of the NHS, including introducing electronic patient records in all NHS trusts by March 2025. 88% of NHS Trusts currently have an electronic patient record.

Eating Disorders: Health Services

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of eating disorders.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Taplow Manor

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of reopening Taplow Manor Hospital for adult patients.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Taplow Manor

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of blocking the admission of new patients to Taplow Manor Hospital until a review of the adequacy of the standard of care provided by that hospital has been completed.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Suicide

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of the funding for suicide prevention and bereavement services in the NHS Long Term Plan has been spent on a) suicide prevention and b) bereavement services.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Drugs

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraphs 2.7 and 2.8: Service Performance, of the National Homecare Medicines Committee Good Practice Principles: Provision of Manufacturer Funded Homecare Medicines Services, published in February 2018, what information his Department holds on any notifications between (a) manufacturers and that Committee or individual Clinical Referring Centres and (b) the NHMC or individual Clinical Referring Centres and manufacturers on trends in the performance of a Homecare Provider which can be reasonably considered to compromise patient safety; and whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of measures to protect patient safety.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Novo Nordisk

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings Ministers within his Department have had with Novo Nordisk in the past (a) 3, (b) 6 and (c) 9 months.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Neurology: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) improve access to and (b) reduce waiting times for (i) health and (ii) social care services for people with neurological conditions in York.

Will Quince: The Government is taking steps to support NHS England to reduce waiting times for all specialty appointments, which includes neurology services in York.To improve outpatient services, NHS England has established a dedicated ‘Action on Outpatients’ programme. This programme supports providers and systems across the National Health Service to accelerate new and existing initiatives to improve services and benefit the longest waiting outpatients, including neurology patients.Additionally, the NHS aligned ‘Getting It Right First Time’ programme published the ‘National Speciality Report for Neurology’ in September 2021. The report made recommendations across neurology services, focussing on improving access to care for patients with neurological disorders, improving outpatient neurology referrals and triaging system to reduce clinical waiting times, and reducing variation across the NHS. NHS England is encouraging systems and providers to adopt and implement these recommendations and tailor the best practice pathways according to their population need and local priorities.We are also providing a historic funding boost for social care to put the system on a stronger financial footing and help local authorities address waiting lists, low fee rates, and workforce pressures in the sector. This is backed up to £7.5 billion of additional funding over two years to support adult social care and discharge.

Integrated Care Systems: Standards

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take with NHS England on supporting Integrated Care Systems to share best practice and strategies for quality improvement.

Helen Whately: The Department and NHS England have shared case studies of best practice in guidance for integrated care boards and integrated care partnerships.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will assess integrated care systems (ICSs) across three key themes set out in the Health and Care Act 2022 which includes quality and safety, integration, and leadership; assessment reports will include required improvement and best practice.NHS England host an online collaboration platform, FutureNHS, that enables all health and social care professionals to connect, share knowledge and collaborate.Best practice is also facilitated via established forums including the Local Government Association (LGA), NHS Place Development Programme, and the ICS Network hosted by the NHS Confederation.

Patients: Mental Capacity

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing the new liberty protection safeguards process.

Helen Whately: The implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) has been delayed beyond this Parliament.

Blood Tests

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the average waiting time for patients to receive a blood test result; and if he will make a statement.

Will Quince: To help increase the volume of diagnostic activity and reduce patient waiting times, the Department has committed £2.3 billion to transform diagnostic services. This includes the roll out of up to 160 Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) by March 2025, 108 of which are already operational. Large and standard CDCs provide pathology services, including phlebotomy services. This funding will also improve digital infrastructure, which will help the National Health Service speed up turnaround times of tests.

Radiology

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to increase funding for the clinical (a) radiology and (b) oncology workforce.

Helen Whately: The work of the Long Term Workforce Plan will be used to inform future Government work on how to best meet the needs of patients and the National Health Service workforce. The Plan is for the whole of the NHS workforce, including cancer services; however, it will not provide detailed workforce assessments for individual services.

Acute Beds

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the average occupancy rate of acute beds in (a) Slough, (b) the Southeast and (c) the UK.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the average occupancy rate of acute beds.

Will Quince: Wexham Park Hospital offers acute services in Slough and is operated by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. The Department does not hold hospital site level data on bed occupancy. The latest official statistics published by NHS England for May 2023 show that the general and acute bed occupancy rate at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust was 97.7%.For the same period, general and acute bed occupancy in the South East was 94.3%, while the general and acute bed occupancy rate in England was 93.0%. Health is a devolved matter, and the Department does not report bed occupancy in the devolved nations.As set out in the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, there will be 5,000 more staffed beds this year, alongside an extra 3,000 virtual ward beds. This is backed by £1 billion of dedicated funding.We are also investing £1.6 billion over the next two years to reduce the numbers of beds occupied by patients ready to be discharged, and Same Day Emergency Care services will be in place across every hospital with a major emergency department, helping avoid unnecessary overnight stays.

NHS: Migrant Workers

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to promote NHS jobs to people living abroad.

Will Quince: The NHS England ‘We are the NHS’ campaign includes a core set of marketing materials for National Health Service trusts to use and provide a high-quality summary of the NHS offer to international nurses, maximising the NHS brand and giving practical information on how nurses can apply.NHS England has also produced an international recruitment marketing film, as well as a video to promote and encourage international nurses specifically into NHS mental health roles.The Health Careers website includes a webpage targeted at overseas health professionals, to ensure they can access accurate and trustworthy information about roles in the NHS.

Cancer: Drugs

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2023 to Question 185884 on Cancer: Drugs, whether NHS England plans to publish the recommendations of its task and finish group establishing systemic anti-cancer therapies delivery capacity.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2023 to Question 185884 on Cancer: Drugs, what funding and resources will be available to support the recommendations generated by NHS England’s task and finish group looking at service capacity for systemic anti-cancer therapies.

Helen Whately: At present, NHS England does not plan to publish the recommendations from its task and finish group establishing systemic anti-cancer therapies delivery capacity. NHS England will use the recommendations to inform next steps so that people with cancer continue to access the best possible care. In reviewing the recommendations of the task and finish group, NHS England will consider whether additional funding and resources are necessary.

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help newly immigrated nurses integrate into NHS workplaces.

Will Quince: All nurses new to the National Health Service will be supported with an appropriate induction programme. In addition, NHS England has funded a grant programme to support international nurses and midwives' integration into the United Kingdom and NHS. This will include hosting wellbeing and career development webinars and building digital platforms to signpost culture-specific information.

Amyloidosis: Drugs

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the level of access to Dara-CyBorD in (a) England and (b) Scotland for people diagnosed with AL amyloidosis.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. The availability of medicines on the National Health Service in Scotland is a matter for the devolved administration. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance for the NHS in England on the use of daratumumab plus bortezomib, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (Dara-CyBorD) for the treatment of newly diagnosed systemic amyloid light-chain amyloidosis in adults. NICE’s draft recommendations published in December 2022 did not recommend use of Dara-CyBorD and are currently subject to an appeal lodged by the company and Myeloma UK.

Healthy Start Scheme: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of parents of children who are eligible for Healthy Start vouchers in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency have not received them.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) deliver the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. NHSBSA publish uptake data for the Healthy Start scheme and data on the number of Healthy Start beneficiaries. A beneficiary is the individual who the benefit is meant for the child or pregnant woman.In May 2023, there were 980 eligible Healthy Start beneficiaries in York and 613 were on the scheme. 367 eligible beneficiaries, 37% of those eligible, were not on the scheme. Uptake data is published by local authority. Constituency level uptake data is not held by NHSBSA.

Cystic Fibrosis

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the present system for calculating the Transplant Benefit Score in the context of the potential increase in life expectancy for UK Cystic Fibrosis sufferers following the introduction in the NHS of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor triple combination therapy (Kaftrio).

Neil O'Brien: NHS Blood and Transplant constantly reviews the data around the National Liver Offering Scheme (NLOS) and Transplant Benefit Score (TBS) through the NLOS monitoring committee which is a sub-group of the Liver Advisory Group (LAG). Changes are made as required to ensure the right patients benefit at the right time. NLOS was updated on 4 October 2022 and the monitoring group will be reviewing the impact of these changes.The severity of the liver disease, rather than the underlying cause, is what determines whether a patient will be listed for liver transplantation. Minimal listing criteria need to be met, in combination with the patient’s overall fitness and capability to successfully undergo a transplant procedure. Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) will be assessed for liver transplant in exactly the same way as a patient with another liver disease, with blood and other tests plus clinical assessment by a multidisciplinary team.Long term data showing Kaftrio therapy leads to reduced liver disease is not yet available. While improved outcomes for CF patients with this new treatment would be very welcome and may lead to more patients being eligible for liver transplant in future, it is not likely to make a significant impact on the existing offering process, which focuses on disease severity and predicted transplant benefit more than the underlying cause.

Dentistry: NHS

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues to NHS dentists on whether they are required to give patients notice before they are removed from their register.

Neil O'Brien: Unlike general practitioners' patients, dental patients are not registered to a particular practice. A dental practice can accept a patient for a course of treatment if they have capacity to deliver that treatment. Many practices have maintained a list of NHS patients they offer to recall but no registration or maintaining an NHS patient list is a requirement of an NHS dentist.

Healthy Start Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide financial support for parents of children who cannot use Healthy Start vouchers due to their children's dietary requirements.

Neil O'Brien: Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried and tinned pulses, plain cow’s milk and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries are also eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins.

General Practitioners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of GPs who offer phone consultation appointments instead of face to face appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: General practices determine the most appropriate appointment mode for their patients based on clinical needs. The National Health Service is clear that general practices must provide face to face appointments, alongside remote consultations, and patients’ input into consultation type should be sought and their preferences for face-to-face care respected unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.Face-to-face alongside remote appointments provide a choice of access routes for patients and additional flexibility and convenience. We expect patients to experience the same high quality of care regardless of how they access their general practice, and patients unable to access remote appointments should be offered an alternative appointment type.The proportion of face-to-face appointments were 70.0% in April 2023, compared to April 2022, it is up by 7.1 percentage points. The proportion of telephone appointments were 26.3% in April 2023, compared to April 2022, it is down by 6.7 percentage points.

Electronic Cigarettes: Young People

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of underage young people vaping.

Neil O'Brien: We have regulations in place to discourage underage vaping. The law protects children through restricting sales of vapes to over 18 year olds only, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.However, given the changing circumstances surrounding vapes, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products.The call for evidence has now closed. The Government is currently considering a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulations.In October 2022, we published new content on the potential risks of vaping for young people on the FRANK and Better Health websites and we have provided input to educational resources produced by partners including the PSHE Association. We will shortly be adding new resources for schools on OHID’s Schools Zone web platform.We are also developing a new resource pack for schools on vaping which will be made available by July.

Clinical Trials

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 8 June 2023 to Question 187791 on Clinical Trials, which phases of clinical trials will GPs to be able to enrol their patients on.

Neil O'Brien: General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in research delivery including the recruitment of participants to clinical research studies. GP involvement in particular trial phases or specific trials can vary based on factors such as trial protocol and the nature of the intervention being tested. GPs typically work closely with research institutions, clinical trial sponsors, and ethics committees to ensure the appropriate recruitment and management of patients in clinical trials.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of implications for his policies of rises in the number of diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections.

Neil O'Brien: We are committed to improving sexual heath in England, including tackling sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and are considering the next steps for delivering the best outcomes, but no specific assessment has been made of our policies and the increase in STIs.Sexual health services (SHSs) play a key public health role in diagnosis, early treatment and management of STIs and we are providing more than £3.5 billion to local authorities through the public health grant to fund public health services, including SHSs, in this financial year. Individual local authorities are responsible for and well placed to make funding and commissioning decisions about the SHSs that best meet the needs of their local populations.As part of the HIV Action Plan, we are investing over £3.5 million from 2021 to 2024 to deliver the National HIV Prevention Programme for England, including HIV Testing Week and other campaigns to improve information and testing for HIV and other STIs.The UK Health Security Agency published a Syphilis Action Plan to address the increase in syphilis diagnosis in England, focusing on key interventions such as targeted testing, partner notification and awareness raising.

Nurses: Ethnic Groups

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to promote the collective voice of ethnic minority senior nurses.

Will Quince: The NHS Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion improvement plan, published on 8 June 2023, states that National Health Service leaders must demonstrate their commitment to creating a fair environment for their staff.The Chief Nursing Officer for England has also formed an Ethnic Minorities Advisory Collaborative to advise on inclusive policies and support the retention and development of senior colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds. This is formed of three independent groups which together work to promote diversity at senior levels: the Global Majority Chief Nurses’ Group, which acts as a senior ethnic minority staff advisory group to the Chief Nursing Officer; the black and minority ethnic strategic advisory group; and the Jabali Men’s Network, which aims to support the retention and development of men from African, Caribbean, and Asian backgrounds at Band 8C and above.

Dentistry: Qualifications

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May to Question 185601 on Dentistry: Qualifications, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering people living in the UK priority assess to the Overseas Registration Exam for Non-European Economic Area nationals.

Neil O'Brien: No assessment has been made. The General Dental Council (GDC), as an independent regulator, is responsible for the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) application process. All ORE Part 1 and Part 2 exams open for booking eight to ten weeks prior to the exam taking place. Every candidate on the relevant candidate list is emailed when a new exam date becomes available for booking. All places on exams are booked on a first come, first served basis.

Obesity: Health Services

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Adult Weight Management Services Grant.

Neil O'Brien: 91% of local authorities in receipt of the Adult Weight Management Services Grant funding shared data on participants and their progress with the Office for Health and Disparities. Provisional data, covering the period April 2021 to December 2022, was published on 27 April 2023.The statistical summary is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/adult-tier-2-weight-management-services-provisional-data-for-april-2021-to-december-2022-experimental-statistics/adult-tier-2-weight-management-services-short-statistical-commentary-april-2023.It shows that 40% of participants had lost weight by the end of their service, with 15% having lost at least 5% of their initial body weight. A final report will be published in due course.

Public Health: Local Government

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Ring-Fenced Public Health Grant to Local Authorities.

Neil O'Brien: There is no model to assess the effectiveness specifically of the Public Health Grant for 2020/21. However, the Public Health Outcomes Framework comprises a range of indicators that can be used to assess progress on public health outcomes, including on issues which are specifically impacted by the work of local authorities and funded through the Public Health Grant. A summary assessment of overall performance against the Public Health Outcomes Framework was included in the Department Annual Report and Accounts for 2020/21, published 31 January 2022.

NHS Trusts: Pastoral Care

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve pastoral care in NHS trusts.

Will Quince: NHS England has developed a number of health and wellbeing initiatives, which include a wellbeing guardian role, a focus on healthy working environments, tools and resources for line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their wellbeing, and access to emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support. They are also investing in occupational health services for NHS staff.NHS England has created a Pastoral Care Quality Award for trusts that provide a high level of pastoral care to internationally educated recruits. Trusts that have achieved the award can use a graphic on their website and in marketing materials to signal that pastoral care is a priority. As of 12 June 2023, 56 trusts have achieved the Pastoral Care Quality Award, with 20 currently going through the judging process, and a further 76 applications submitted since its launch in March 2022.

General Practitioners

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people are able to access face to face appointments with GPs.

Neil O'Brien: We are investing at least £1.5 billion to create an additional 50 million general practice appointments by 2024 by growing and diversifying the workforce. We have recruited over 29,000 additional primary care staff, and there are nearly 2,000 more doctors in general practice compared to 2019. In the twelve months to April 2023, there were 346.8 million appointments booked across England, up by 38.9 million compared to the twelve months up to April 2019.The National Health Service is clear that general practices must provide face to face appointments, alongside remote consultations, and patients’ input into consultation type should be sought and their preferences for face-to-face care respected unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. The proportion of face-to-face appointments were 70.0% in April 2023, compared to April 2022 (62.9%) it is up by 7.1 percentage points.

Electronic Cigarettes: Labelling

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that the advertised nicotine contents in disposable vapes are accurate.

Neil O'Brien: Businesses supplying disposable vapes on the United Kingdom market must ensure their products comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and this includes the requirement of the labelling on the packaging of the indication of the nicotine content of the product and the delivery per dose. Local trading standards have enforcement powers to remove non-compliant products.

Life Expectancy

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2023 to Question 185509 on Life Expectancy, whether his Department is on track to meet this target.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. Current trends show that Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) is stalled. In the period from 2018 to 2020, HLE at birth in the United Kingdom for males was 62.8 years and 63.6 years for females, showing no significant change since 2015 to 2017.In England in 2019, the conditions responsible for the greatest share of premature death (measured as years of life lost) were cancers (35%) and cardiovascular diseases (26%). The conditions responsible for the greatest proportion of ill-health (measured as years lived with disability) were musculoskeletal disorders (21%) and mental health conditions (15%), which are also the most cited conditions causing economic inactivity. Around one in four adults in England live with two or more long-term conditions.The Major Conditions Strategy will tackle conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England including, cancers, cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal conditions.

Doctors: Training

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to commission a review into streamlining the Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration process.

Neil O'Brien: On 14 December 2022 a statutory instrument was laid which amends the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Order of Council 2010 and The General Medical Council (Applications for General Practice and Specialist Registration) Regulations 2010 to provide the General Medical Council (GMC) with the freedom to develop additional registration pathways for GP and specialist registration.These changes do not amend the GMC’s Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) process but provide it with broader registration criteria and flexibility to expand the range of evidence that it can accept from applicants. The Order has a commencement date of 30 November 2023. There are no further plans for the Department to review the CESR process.

Drugs: Misuse

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made on effectiveness of the Additional drug and alcohol treatment funding allocations 2022 to 2023 in supporting universal drug treatment.

Neil O'Brien: In December 2021, the Government published a 10-year drug strategy which committed an additional £532 million of funding over three years for drug and alcohol treatment services. Evaluations assessing the delivery, impact, and value for money of the overall investment as well as specific treatment and recovery programmes will be completed by Autumn 2025.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of stem cell transplant patients and their families have accessed the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme in England in the last year.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the cost to the public purse of providing free prescriptions to people aged between 60 and 66 in each of the last five years.

Neil O'Brien: There are no plans to make an assessment. The Department published an impact assessment in 2021 on increasing the upper age exemption for prescription charges. The impact assessment estimated that charging people aged 60 to 65 years old for prescriptions would return an additional £226 million a year. More information on this is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/996781/impact-assessment-upper-age-prescription-exemption.pdf

Midwives and Nurses

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to increase the representation of (a) ethnic minority and (b) internationally educated nurses in governance structures of the (i) nursing and (ii) midwifery professions.

Will Quince: The National Health Service workforce is more diverse today than at any point in its 75-year history.The NHS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion improvement plan, which was published on 8 June 2023, requires NHS organisations and integrated care boards to create talent management plans to improve diversity of boards and senior roles and to implement plans to widen recruitment opportunities within local communities. This should include a focus on career pathways into the NHS such as apprenticeship programmes and graduate management training schemes.To increase the number of internationally educated nurses at higher grades, NHS England has funded 22 pilot projects as part of an Accelerated Development Programme. NHS England has also been proactive in encouraging ethnic minority nurses and midwives to apply for places on leadership development programmes.

General Practitioners

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with relevant groups on allowing individuals dissatisfied with the care they receive from a GP to move to another practice in the same local area and overriding any block on intra-area transfers.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has not had a specific discussion on this topic, however, patients have the legal right to choose a general practitioner (GP) practice that best suits their needs and can change their GP surgery should they be dissatisfied with their care. When moving practices, a patient has to formally register with the new practice by submitting a registration form to them, available at the practice or from GOV.UK. This is provided they are operating an open list and taking new patients.If a practice does refuse registration, they must explain to the patient the reason for doing so. A GP practice cannot refuse registering a patient based on the race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability, or medical conditions of the patient.If this process has not been followed, patients should raise this with their practice who will provide details of the complaints process. If a patient is not comfortable raising a complaint directly or do not feel they have had a satisfactory response, they can raise their concern with their integrated care systems, with NHS England by emailing england.contactus@nhs.net or with Healthwatch England.

Ophthalmic Services

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to NHS Minor Eye Care Services across all Integrated Care Boards in England.

Neil O'Brien: In England, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of services to meet local needs. This includes decisions on whether to commission locally enhanced services from primary eye care providers, such as minor eye conditions services.To support ICBs we are currently planning a piece of work with the profession and NHS England to develop a standard set of service specifications for enhanced services, which will support ICB commissioning, should they identify a need for such services in their area.

Dental Services: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many constituents in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency have been deregistered by dental practices each year since 2021.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many constituents in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency are registered with an NHS dentist.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not available. Unlike general practitioners' patients, dental patients are not registered to a particular practice. A dental practice can accept a patient for a course of treatment if they have capacity to deliver that treatment. There are no geographical restrictions on which dental practice a patient may attend, allowing patients the choice of where they receive treatment.

Smoking

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of local authorities have a specialist stop smoking service open to all smokers.

Neil O'Brien: There is no official data on whether local authorities have a specialist stop smoking service open to all smokers.

Smoking: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to Stop Smoking services in Slough.

Neil O'Brien: We continue to provide funding to local authority stop smoking services via the Public Health Grant. The local authority in Slough commission a highly effective Stop Smoking Service which is available to all smokers locally.

Department of Health and Social Care: Artificial Intelligence

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.

Will Quince: Through the NHS AI Lab programme, the Department has provided £11,774,263.82 of funding to regulatory and evaluator organisations to streamline regulation to make it easier for the health and care system to deploy safe AI technologies as well as improving the route for AI vendors into the system, including funding for:- A regulatory taskforce of four people from the main regulators overseeing how AI products in health and are regulated;- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Health Regulation Authority (HRA) and Care Quality Commission to create an AI and Digital regulations service;- The HRA to streamline data driven research to simplify the approach to accessing research consent and increasing awareness of where such consent is needed amongst researchers and innovators;- The MHRA to explore the potential of synthetic data for the training and the validation of AI;- The MHRA to enhance the ‘post-market surveillance’ of healthcare products, by transforming the Yellow Card system; and- The MHRA for the AI Rigour project to develop a suite of guidance to help standard practices for the development of AI-driven technologies that will increase the safety and robustness of AI models.As part of the AI regulation White Paper consultation, we are engaging closely with regulators across the wider landscape and their sponsoring government departments to understand the organisational capacity they need to regulate AI effectively.

HIV Infection: Prescription Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer on 17 May 2023 to Question 185507 on HIV Infection: Prescription Drugs, when his Department expects to publish its response to the Task and Finish Group recommendations on improving PrEP delivery.

Neil O'Brien: The HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group is currently working to develop a roadmap, based on the PrEP Access and Equity Task and Finish group’s recommendations, to help guide our efforts to improve equitable access to PrEP for key populations. We will consider our response to the recommendations in due course.

Obesity

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 7 June 2023 on Public Health Update, HCWS831, when his Department informed Novo Nordisk that it would be making this statement.

Neil O'Brien: Novo Nordisk was informed about the pilots, under embargo, on Tuesday 6 June 2023.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Shortages

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on (a) shortages of progesterone and (b) safeguarding future progesterone supply.

Will Quince: We are aware of an issue with Utrogestan (progesterone) 100mg capsules, which will be unavailable for short periods of time intermittently until late 2023. The Department’s medicines supply team has been working very closely with the supplier to boost capacity and increase supplies to the United Kingdom. In the meantime, we have issued a Serious Shortage Protocol which allows pharmacists to limit dispensing of this product to a maximum of two months’ supply per prescription, to help support access to available stock, and we have provided management guidance to the NHS. Furthermore, we have added this product onto the list of products that cannot be hoarded or exported from the UK.

Obesity

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 7 June 2023 HCWS831 on Public Health Update, when he plans to start the pilot.

Neil O'Brien: The start date is still to be determined. The aim is to be ready to start the pilots as close as possible to when these weight loss drugs are launched in the United Kingdom.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential cost of establishing a patient travel fund for (a) stem cell transplant and (b) chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy recipients.

Neil O'Brien: There are no plans to assess the potential cost of establishing a patient travel fund for stem cell transplant and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy recipients. The Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) provide funded transport where it is considered essential to ensuring an individual’s safety, safe mobilisation, condition management or recovery.Depending on a patient’s financial circumstances, they may be eligible for financial support with costs via the NHS Low Income Scheme and Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme. This is aimed specifically at those with a low income and allows patients to claim for all or part their travel costs should they meet the eligibility criteria.

Obesity

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 188215, whether his Department has made an estimate of the minimum number of doses of Semuglutide and Tirzepatide that it will need to operate the pilot.

Neil O'Brien: This is still to be determined. Further details will be shared in due course.

Rheumatology

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase rheumatology services’ access to podiatry services.

Helen Whately: There are no specific steps being taken by the Department. Access to services will be determined at local level.

Podiatry: Vacancies

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve patient care within NHS podiatry services, in the context of trends in vacancy rates of NHS podiatrists.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to work in podiatry.

Will Quince: NHS England has worked extensively to enhance and modernise the podiatry professions. Central to this has been the development of education and training for support workers in podiatry and the development of the the podiatry apprenticeship.NHS England is also continuing to promote podiatry as a career option through a suite of careers resources. The recently launched NHS Employers guide to podiatry sets out the full range of opportunities and offers guidance from career promotion in schools, to effective staff recruitment, retention and return to practice.

Nurses: Equality

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to promote an inclusive culture in (a) the nursing workforce and (b) among senior nurses.

Will Quince: To help to build an inclusive culture across the National Health Service, NHS England published an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion improvement plan on 8 June 2023. The improvement plan sets out targeted actions to address prejudice and discrimination – direct and indirect – that exists through behaviour, policies, practices and cultures against certain groups and individuals. It has been co-produced through engagement with staff networks and senior leaders.This builds on earlier work by the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Midwifery Officer to support ethnic minority nurses and midwives. In September 2021, NHS England launched the Getting to Equity Programme for aspiring nurse and midwife ethnic minority leaders. In November 2022, NHS England published a Combatting Racial Discrimination resource for nursing and midwifery professionals in conjunction with the NHS Confederation and Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of supply levels of (a) ozempic, (b) trulicity, (c) victoza, (d) Rybelsus and (e) Tresiba 100 FlexTouch Pen.

Will Quince: Medicine supply issues are caused by a wide range of factors as the production of medicines is complex and highly regulated and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. The Department has well-established processes in place to manage disruption to supply.There are supply issues with GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide (Ozempic and Rybelsus), dulaglutide (Trulicity) and liraglutide (Victoza) in the United Kingdom, which are licensed for treating patients with type 2 diabetes. The Department has issued Medicine Supply Notifications for Ozempic (semaglutide injection) and Trulicity (dulaglutide injection), advising healthcare professionals not to initiate new patients and to use these medicines for their licensed indications. Additional Medicine Supply Notifications will also be issued soon for Victoza (liraglutide injection) and Rybelsus (semaglutide tablets) advising healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring these medicines.There is a supply disruption affecting Tresiba FlexTouch (insulin degludec) pens in the UK, which are licensed for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in adults, adolescents and children from the age of one years old. The Department has issued a Medicine Supply Notification, advising healthcare professionals not to initiate new patients on Tresiba FlexTouch pens and to use Tresiba Penfill cartridges as an alternative.

Nurses: Training

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of development and training needs in the nursing workforce.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote career progressions in (a) lecturing, (b) nurse consultancy and (b) other alternative career options for senior nurses.

Will Quince: The Government has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan for the next 15 years, which will look at the mix and number of staff required and will set out the actions and reforms needed across the National Health Service, including nurses.The Government continues to support career progression by investing in continued professional development to help clinical staff advance their careers, develop new clinical skills to enhance the care they are able to provide to patients, obtain advanced practice qualifications and move more easily between different roles in different parts of the NHS. Programmes such as apprenticeships and blended learning offer new routes into healthcare professions, including nursing. Health Education England, now part of NHS England, recently published the Educator Workforce Strategy, setting out actions that will lead to sufficient capacity and quality of educators to allow the growth in healthcare workforce that is needed to deliver care now and in the future.

Patients: Protective Clothing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2023 to Question 186059 on Protective Clothing, if he will withdraw the recommendation for patients to wear face coverings in the absence of a cost-benefit analysis.

Will Quince: The Department’s recommendations regarding protective clothing and patient health are informed by a wealth of evidence and literature, sometimes including, but not limited to, cost-benefit analyses.The recommendations in NHS England’s National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) regarding the use of face masks is informed by a literature review conducted by ARHAI Scotland, which is available at the following link:https://www.nipcm.hps.scot.nhs.uk/media/2113/2022-01-06-surgical-masks-sicps-and-tbps-v20-final.pdfAs set out in the United Kingdom’s five year national action plan for tackling antimicrobial resistance, NHS England’s National Infection Prevention and Control Team is currently undertaking literature reviews to support the NIPCM. While this process is on-going, the scientific and epidemiological data and literature remain under constant review.

Hospices: Children

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timescale is for making a decision on whether to continue the NHS England Children's Hospice grant after the 2023-24 financial year.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to continue the NHS England Children's Hospice grant beyond the 2023-24 financial year.

Helen Whately: Palliative and end of life care is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population.NHS England and the Government are committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. Internal discussions regarding the future of the Children’s Hospice Grant beyond 2023/24 are ongoing, and NHS England is aiming to communicate details in the coming weeks, as soon as is practically possible.

Social Services: Income Support

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the operation of the Minimum Income Guarantee.

Helen Whately: There are no plans to review the operation of the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), but the rates are reviewed annually. Following the last review, the MIG rates were increased in line with Consumer Prices Index inflation at 10.1% on 6 April for the 2023/24 financial year. The next review will take place in the autumn for the 2024/25 financial year.

Allergies: Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2023 to Question 184919 on Allergies: Health Services, for what reasons no specific assessment has been made.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made on the regional availability of allergy care in England as the majority of these services are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to provide a comprehensive health service to their local populations subject to local prioritisation and funding, including access to specialist medical services for people with allergy where appropriate.

Wotton Lawn Hospital: Staff

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels at Wotton Lawn Hospital.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of patient safety at Wotton Lawn Hospital.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of patient care at Wotton Lawn Hospital.

Maria Caulfield: The Department has not made any such assessments as these are matters for the Care Quality Commission. However, NHS England has advised that the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust adheres to national safe staffing levels, which requires the use of agency and bank nursing staff at times. Significant progress has been made on recruiting into vacant mental health roles and the Trust has reduced its vacancies in inpatient wards by 50 per cent. Under current recruitment plans, Wotton Lawn Hospital is due to be fully staffed by the autumn. This will reduce the reliance upon agency staff and provide more stability. The Trust’s Board has a robust system of checks and balances in place, which includes oversight by its quality committee and ultimately, the Board itself. The Trust is also monitored by its commissioning body – NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) – as well as NHS England in the South West. Any incidents involving patient harm are fully investigated and reported on according to national protocols. Work is also taking place to further improve security at the hospital, following recent concerns. The ICB is planning to lead a rapid quality review into the issues raised in recent media coverage. This review will provide assurance to both the ICB and the Trust Board in terms of the quality and safety of the services provided by the hospital.

Department of Health and Social Care: Empty Property

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his (a) Department and (b) Department's non-departmental public bodies spent on vacant properties sinceJune2015.

Will Quince: The following table shows the amount spent on the vacant properties of the Department and its non-Departmental bodies since June 2015:BodyAmountNHS England£689,987Care Quality CommissionNilNational Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceNilHuman Fertilisation and Embryology AuthorityNilHuman Tissue AuthorityNilHealth Research AuthorityNilDepartment of Health and Social Care - ‘Retained Estate’: property retained in the ownership of Secretary of State for Health following the establishment of National Health Service trusts£652,844

Coronavirus: Contracts

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-related contracts (a) have and (b) have not been published on Contracts Finder as of 2 June 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is not aware of any Contracts Finder Notices for contracts awarded for the supply of goods and services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which have not been published on Contracts Finder. Where a contract document is required and where this is available on our data systems this has been attached to the Notices. The Department has investigated and corrected a small number of cases where attachments that appeared to have been published were not visible on Contracts Finder.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps to help ensure that people with HIV have equal access to fertility treatments.

Neil O'Brien: The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs has established a working group to review the current guidelines on gamete donation. This includes consideration of its position on gamete donors with human immunodeficiency virus. We will consider any advice that may result from this review.

Versus Arthritis

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to meet with representatives of Versus Arthritis.

Helen Whately: Versus Arthritis representatives have been in regular contact with the Department, as part of our programme of engagement for the Major Conditions Strategy. Their representatives have been invited to events including a Secretary of State led roundtable. We will continue to work with a range of charities including Versus Arthritis as part of our engagement work on the strategy.

HIV Infection

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with HIV in the last five years.

Neil O'Brien: The following table shows the number of people diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus in England and the United Kingdom in the past five years including those previously diagnosed abroad. 20172018201920202021England4,3014,2214,0172,6732,692United Kingdom4,7914,6844,4082,9612,955 Among the people diagnosed in England in 2021, 25% were previously diagnosed abroad.This data is available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tableshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hiv-monitoring-and-evaluation-framework/hiv-action-plan-monitoring-and-evaluation-framework#main-messages.

Department for Education

Schools: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has allocated to Havering Council through the Wellbeing for Education Recovery Grant.

Claire Coutinho: The department provided Wellbeing for Education Return/Recovery grants to local authorities in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years, to provide additional support to state-funded schools and colleges to enable education staff to promote and support the wellbeing and mental health of pupils and students, during the return to schools and in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery period.The London Borough of Havering received a Wellbeing for Education Return grant of £32,031 in the 2020/21 financial year and a further Wellbeing for Education Recovery grant of £27,644 in the 2021/22 financial year, amounting to a total of £59,675. This data can be obtained from the tables published in the Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery grant determination letters, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wellbeing-for-education-return-grant-s31-grant-determination-letter.

Children in Care: Supported Housing

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance on the circumstances in which motorised caravans, barges and boats could be registered by Ofsted as supported accommodation for looked after children aged 16 and 17.

Claire Coutinho: This government is clear that all supported accommodation must be safe, high-quality and provide excellent support to young people as they transition into adulthood.That is why the department has introduced new mandatory national standards and a system of Ofsted-led registration and inspection, which will drive up the quality and consistency of this provision. This vital reform programme, backed by £142 million in funding, will raise the bar for supported accommodation and ensure that this provision meets the needs of the young people it serves.Ofsted started registering providers from 28 April 2023, and registration becomes mandatory from 28 October 2023. Providers must ensure that all their settings meet the national standards and meet the needs of young people.The new national standards set high expectations for the quality of accommodation, including the requirement that all settings are secure and do not isolate young people from important local services. We do not expect that mobile or impermanent settings will be able to meet these standards, unless it is in exceptional circumstances. Ofsted, as the regulator of this provision, will consider any application made by a provider to register a mobile setting on a case-by-case basis.Providers must ensure that all settings they operate comply with the national standards and provide a good experience for young people. Ofsted will be able to take action against providers where they find that they are not complying with these requirements.

Literacy: Special Educational Needs

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Primary Schools use literacy resources at KS1 designed specifically for deaf children and visual leaners which include visual languages.

Claire Coutinho: The department does not collect information on or monitor the use of literacy resources designed specifically for deaf children and visual learners that primary schools use at Key Stage 1.The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice 2015 includes guidance on the role of early years providers and schools in identifying and supporting children with special educational needs, including those with visual and hearing impairments.Systematic phonics is the best evidenced way to teach children to decode the English alphabetic code. By ensuring high quality phonics teaching, literacy levels for all children can be improved as they progress through school.Published in 2021, the Reading Framework defines best practice for improving early reading teaching, including guidance on ensuring reading teaching is accessible for all pupils.

Reading: Special Educational Needs

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many deaf children reached their age related reading score for their year 1 phonic screening check assessment in the last five years for which figures are available.

Claire Coutinho: The department publishes data on the attainment of pupils recorded as having a hearing impairment in the phonics screening check within the ‘Key Stage 1 and phonics screening check attainment’ statistics publication, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-1-and-phonics-screening-check-attainment/2021-22.The attached table includes the number of pupils recorded as having a hearing impairment who met the expected standard in Year 1 in the phonics screening check between 2016 and 2022. In addition, the number of such pupils eligible to take the check and the number and proportion working towards the standard, were absent or disapplied from the check are included to provide context. Data for 2020 and 2021 is not available due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.These statistics include pupils with special educational needs in state-funded schools where hearing impairment was recorded as their primary type of need on the school census. Therefore, these statistics will not capture all pupils in Year 1 with a hearing impairment. Phonics hearing impairment (xlsx, 27.5KB)

Students: Mental Health

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has held recent discussions with universities on student mental health.

Robert Halfon: It is a priority for the government that students are provided with the mental health support they need. The department engages regularly with universities and the broader higher education (HE) sector in pursuit of this goal.We have made clear to the sector that our approach to supporting student mental health has three pillars:Funding vital services and innovative projects via the Office for Students.Spreading and implementing best practice consistently across providers.Clear responsibilities for providers and protection for students, with solutions developed by the Student Support Champion.I recently met with Universities UK (UUK), who represent 115 English Universities, to inform them of the department’s ambitions for the sector on mental health going forward. On 5 June 2023, I wrote to all university leaders, asking for their strongest possible commitment to the mental health of our students, including by showing ownership of mental health at an executive level. The department set a target for universities to sign up to the Mental Health Charter by September 2024, so universities take a whole-university approach to mental health and wellbeing and follow the principles set out in the Mental Health Charter.We also made clear to the sector that we expect them to follow relevant best practice guidance shared with them by UUK and mental health experts.The department will be engaging with the sector on implementation of best practice through the Higher Education Mental Health Taskforce. I have asked Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck to lead this, working with the sector, parents and students, and mental health experts. The Taskforce will set strong, clear, and measurable targets on which HE providers will report. The Taskforce will conclude its work with a final report in May next year, having produced an interim plan by the end of this year.I will be chairing a roundtable with university and wider HE leaders to explore how the sector can make further improvements on mental health support, working alongside mental health experts and government.

Special Educational Needs

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Education Recovery Programme on (a) children with special educational needs and disabilities and (b) additional learning needs.

Claire Coutinho: Helping pupils recover from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic is a departmental priority. The department recognises the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on pupils, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and other additional learning needs. Through education recovery funding, the department has consistently prioritised pupils who attend specialist schools by providing additional uplifts to these schools in the Catch-up Premium in 2020/21, the Recovery Premium over 2021/22 to 2023/24, and summer schools in summer 2021. These pupils have also been supported through the school led tutoring for pupils who attend specialist settings including special units in mainstream schools, in recognition of the significantly higher per pupil costs they face. All pupils will benefit from additional funding to ensure that teachers in schools and early years are able to access high quality training and professional development. The department knows that high quality teaching is the best way to support all pupils, including those with SEND. Evaluations of recovery interventions continue to be conducted and published when available, helping the department to understand their effectiveness and guide future policies and programmes. The department continues to monitor levels of attainment to understand the effects the COVID-19 pandemic and the department’s education policies have had, including on those children with SEND.

Confucius Institutes

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of Chinese influence through Confucius Institutes at UK universities since the Integrated Review Refresh in March 2023.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to tackle potential national security risks posed by Confucius Institutes at UK universities.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the work of Confucius Institutes on freedom of speech at universities.

Claire Coutinho: The department recognises concerns about overseas interference in the higher education (HE) sector, including through Confucius Institutes. We regularly assess the risks facing academia. The department is taking action to remove any government funding from Confucius Institutes in the UK, but currently judges that it would be disproportionate to ban them.Like any international body operating in the UK, Confucius Institutes need to operate transparently and within the law, with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression. Universities also have a responsibility to ensure that any partnership with a Confucius Institute is managed appropriately, and that the right due diligence is in place.The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ensure that universities in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom wherever they originate. Section 9 of the Act will require the Office for Students to monitor the overseas funding of registered HE providers and their constituent institutions, in order to assess the extent to which such funding arrangements present a risk to freedom of speech and academic freedom in HE. This includes the reporting of educational or commercial partnerships and would therefore cover arrangements with, for example, Confucius Institutes.The department is now going further in the Integrated Review Refresh, launching a new and comprehensive review of legislative and other provisions designed to protect the academic sector, to identify what more we could or should be doing.The government is clear that any challenges to our core values, whatever their origin, will not be tolerated.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, to confirm how many Mental Health Support Teams are in (a) the North West and (b) Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Claire Coutinho: Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are now in place in around 6,800 schools and colleges across the country, with 398 expert teams offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. Information on the delivery of MHSTs can found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1156762/Transforming_CYPMH_implementation_programme__data_release_May_2023.pdf. MHSTs have achieved their NHS Long Term Plan coverage ambition a year early, and more teams are coming, with over 500 MHSTs planned to be up and running by April 2024.Data from NHS England shows that there are currently 58 MHSTs in the North West of England. 50 MHSTs are operational and 8 will be fully operational by April 2024. The data can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/trailblazers/#_Mental_Health_Support. Data on the number of MHSTs specifically in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency is not currently available.

Children's Social Care Independent Review

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the costs of delaying adoption of the recommendations of the 2022 Independent Review of Children’s Social Care; and if she will make a statement.

Claire Coutinho: There needs to be a fundamental shift away from crisis intervention and towards earlier intervention, and ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ sets out how the department intends to achieve that. These are complex reforms, with complicated systemic interactions. It is critical that the department takes a test and learn approach and ensure these models can be rolled out effectively.Alongside the Implementation Strategy, the department announced funding of £200 million by 2024/25 to address urgent issues facing children and families now, to lay the foundations for whole system reform, and set the national direction for change. This is on top of the £142 million by 2024/25 to take forward reforms to unregulated provision in children’s social care, £160 million as announced in March 2022, over the next three years to deliver the Adoption Strategy. This is also in addition to £259 million over the Spending Review 2021 period to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children’s homes, and £230 million over this Spending Review to support young people leaving care.Also, the government is providing £3.85 billion social care grant to local authorities for adults and children’s social care this year.The department recently published a Written Statement, entitled Children’s Social Care Reform, which provides an update to Parliament on progress made one year after the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. After two years, the department will refresh ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, and seek to scale up the new approaches that have been tested and developed, including bringing forward new legislation where necessary, subject to parliamentary time. The written statement is available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-23/hcws792.

Family Hubs: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide funding for Family Hubs in Slough.

Claire Coutinho: The government would like to see family hubs across the country. However, it is crucial that the department focusses on delivering well and building the evidence in the 87 local areas we are working with through the current family hubs transformation programmes. Through the programme, the government is investing around £300 million in areas with the highest levels of disadvantage and disproportionately poor health and educational outcomes. The evidence and learning from this investment will help to improve services across England where they are most needed.All local authorities in England, including Slough, are able to access expert advice, guidance and resources from the National Centre for Family Hubs in order to support the implementation of family hubs. Further information can be found here: https://www.nationalcentreforfamilyhubs.org.uk/. Some local authorities are already operating their own family hubs, using existing funding streams to move their local service model towards a family hub model. Additional family hubs funding for local areas would be subject to future spending decisions.

Schools: Buildings

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) classrooms and (b) schools have been closed due to issues with the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in the last 12 months.

Nick Gibb: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Responsibility for ensuring the safety and condition of school buildings lies with the responsible bodies, such as Local Authorities, trusts, and voluntary aided bodies.The Department has sent a questionnaire on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) to all responsible bodies in England, asking them to provide information on RAAC in their estates. Responses from the questionnaire will allow the Department to better understand the prevalence of RAAC across schools and ensure the correct support is in place to meet the responsible bodies’ needs. The questionnaire remains open for responsible bodies to respond to, and the Department is still collecting this information.The Department provides support to schools and responsible bodies and has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 to keep schools safe and operational. This includes £1.8 billion committed this financial year, informed by consistent data on the school estate. In addition, the Department’s School Rebuilding Programme will transform 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition.Where the Department is notified of a significant safety issue with a school building that cannot be managed within local resources, the Department considers additional support on a case by case basis. The Department provides advisory support to schools that have closed to minimise the effect and ensure continuity of education for pupils.

Free School Meals: Academic Year

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children on free school meals receive free meals during the summer holidays.

Nick Gibb: Free school meals (FSM) are an educational entitlement intended to support children while they are being taught. Pupils do not receive FSM when they are not receiving education, including during school holidays.The latest published statistics show that over 2 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 23.8% of all pupils, up from 22.5% in 2022. Together with almost 1.3 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) policy, over one third of pupils receive a free meal in school. This is an increase from the one in six that received a free meal in 2010. Overall, two million more pupils now receive a free meal at school, compared to 2010. This is due to the introduction of UIFSM and generous transitional protections.The Department is providing over £200 million per year in the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. HAF supplies food and activities for disadvantaged children in England for four weeks over summer and one week at Christmas and Easter each. The programme provides heathy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and readiness to be taught.For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett formula, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. This is on top of what the Government has provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. In England, this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund, backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities use to help households with the cost of essentials.Overall, the Government is providing total support of over £94 billion over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.

Teachers: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in (i) Coventry North East constituency and (ii) Coventry.

Nick Gibb: The latest School Workforce Census, which was published on 8 June 2023, shows the number of teachers remains high, with 468,400 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers working in state funded schools across the country. This is over 27,000 more than in 2010. In November 2022, when the latest available data was collected, there were 3,284 FTE teachers in state funded schools in Coventry. This is an increase of 3.2% from the year previous when there were 3,182 FTE teachers in state funded schools in Coventry and an increase of 6.3% since 2010 when the school workforce census began when there were 3,090 FTE teachers in state funded schools in Coventry. Over this period, the number of schools in Coventry included in the school workforce census has ranged between 112 to 120. School Workforce Census data can be found online at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The Department’s reforms are aimed at increasing teacher recruitment and ensuring teachers across England stay in the profession.The Department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting initial teacher training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.The Department provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas (EIAs). The Department provides the highest payments to teachers in eligible schools in EIAs. Coventry is an EIA. There are seven schools in the Coventry North East constituency eligible for the Levelling Up Premium and 26 schools in the Coventry Local Authority. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.The Department has also raised starting salaries outside London by 8.9% to £28,000 and remains committed to the Government’s ambition of delivering £30,000 starting salaries to attract talented people to teaching.To support retention across all areas, the Department has worked with the education sector and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing. This includes the workload reduction toolkit, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit and the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. More than 2,600 schools have signed up to the Charter so far.

Children: Reading

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to ensure all schools have access to reading books produced in different languages.

Nick Gibb: The Department knows that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge rich curriculum which promotes the extensive reading of books and other kinds of texts both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.Pupils should be taught to maintain positive attitudes towards reading and to develop an understanding of what they read by increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from the UK’s literary heritage and books from other cultures and traditions. Teachers have flexibility in which books to teach within the context of the curriculum.The Autumn Statement 2022 announced that funding for mainstream schools and high needs is £3.5 billion higher in 2023/24 as compared to 2022/23. That is on top of the £4 billion, year on year increase provided in 2022/23, which is an increase of £7.5 billion, or over 15%, in just two years. It is for headteachers to decide how best to manage their budgets, including investment in resources such as library provision and reading books produced in different languages.The Department also recognises that schools can face additional challenges when they have pupils on roll who have limited or no English language skills. The Department has allocated funding to schools through the English as an additional language (EAL) factor in the National Funding Formula for schools. This funding is based on the number of pupils who are classed as having a first language other than English and who have started in the state funded education system in England in the last three years.Allocations are made on the basis of data collected through the October school census and equate to an additional £580 per primary school pupil and £1,565 per secondary pupil in the current financial year. Schools have the flexibility to use this funding based on the needs of their pupils, such as by providing reading books produced in community languages.

Free School Meals

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 165189 on Free School Meals, for what reason her Department has not made an estimate of the take-up rate for free school meals since December 2013; and if she will make a statement.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number and proportion of pupils in (a) reception, (b) Year 1 and (c) Year 2 who qualify for means-tested free school meals but are not registered for them; and if she will make a statement.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the amount of debt owed by families for school meals for the latest period for which data is available; what recent discussions she has held with (a) local authorities and (b) schools on this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The latest published statistics show that over 2 million pupils are claiming free school meals (FSM). This equates to 23.8% of all pupils, up from 22.5% in 2022. Together with almost 1.3 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) policy, over one third of pupils receive a free meal in school.The Department does not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that may be entitled to a FSM but do not make a claim.The Department’s primary interest is ensuring that all pupils who are entitled to free meals take this offer up. We also want to make it as simple as possible for schools and Local Authorities to determine eligibility. The Department provides an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and Local Authorities. The Department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.The take-up rate of UIFSM currently stands at 85%. The Department has not formally assessed the proportion of infant pupils who are entitled to, but not registered for FSM. The Department encourages all families who meet the eligibility criteria to apply for FSM.The Department also has not estimated the amount of lunch debt owed by families for school meals. The Government continues to monitor cost-of-living issues that are affecting families.

Free School Meals: Finance

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of budgets for free school meals.

Nick Gibb: The Department recognises the cost pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing. The Department is holding regular meetings with other Government Departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.Following the Autumn Statement 2022, schools will receive an additional £2 billion in each of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. The core schools’ budget, which covers schools’ day to day running costs, including schools’ energy bills and the costs of providing income related free school meals (FSM), has risen from £49.8 billion in 2021/22 to £53.8 billion in 2022/23 and will continue to rise to £57.3 billion in 2023/24 and £58.8 billion in 2024/25. By 2024/25, funding per pupil will have risen to its highest ever level in real terms. These increases provide support to schools to deal with the impact of inflation on their budgets.The Department is continuing to review funding to ensure that schools continue to be able to provide healthy and nutritious meals in schools. The funding for the FSM factor is increasing for 2023/24, in line with the latest available Gross Domestic Product deflator forecast when the National Funding Formula was published in July 2022.Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) are funded through a direct grant to schools. In June 2022, the Government announced an increase to the per pupil meal rate in UIFSM to £2.41. This was backdated, recognising the cost pressures schools and some suppliers may be experiencing.

Children: Care Homes

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 21 October 2022 to Question 65897 on Children: Care Homes, if she will publish (a) the list of local authorities who have been allocated funding for open or secure children’s homes from the £259 million announced in the Autumn 2021 Spending Review and (b) the amounts received by each of those local authorities to date.

Claire Coutinho: The Spending Review 2021 (SR21) announced £259 million of funding over the SR21 period to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children’s homes.Following this, the department launched several waves of bidding rounds for local authorities to submit applications for this funding for both open and secure children’s homes.A total of £80 million has been allocated to open children's home projects over two bidding rounds. The remaining funds are being allocated to secure children’s home projects. This includes funding the development of two new secure children’s homes in London and the West Midlands, and a rebuild of Lincolnshire Secure Children's Home, as well as a number of smaller projects to improve the sufficiency of existing secure children’s homes.The department is in the process of agreeing a final wave of funding for existing secure children’s homes for this Spending Review period. The department will share final details when funding awards for all projects have been agreed and local authorities have been notified.

Childcare: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the availability of high-quality childcare in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry.

Claire Coutinho: The department is determined to support as many families as possible with access to high-quality and affordable childcare. The Spring Budget 2023 announced significant new investments to expand the free early education entitlements from 2024/25, together with uplifts in 2023/24 and 2024/25 for the existing entitlement offers.Eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of childcare per week, for 38 weeks of the year, from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school.The government is committed to ensuring that every child in an early years setting, regardless of their background or any additional needs they may have, receives high-quality education and care.Access to high-quality childcare ensures children and families can fulfil their potential, helping children to learn in their earliest years, and supporting a functioning economy by enabling parents to work.The department knows that children are accessing high-quality childcare because as of August 2022, 96% of providers on the Early Years Register were rated Good or Outstanding, up from 74% in 2012.Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing.

Carers: Leave

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing paid kinship care leave for new kinship carers on (a) those carers and (b) the children in their care.

Claire Coutinho: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Kinship carers play an extremely important role in both their kin children’s lives and in the Children’s Social Care system.On 2 February 2023, the department published its consultation and Children’s Social Care implementation strategy, ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, which sets out how the department will achieve broad, system wide transformation. Through this strategy, the department has made a commitment to implement or explore each of the Review’s recommendations on kinship care.The department has committed to work across government to explore possible additional workplace entitlements for kinship carers with a special guardianship order or child arrangement order.The department is also committed to publishing a national kinship care strategy by the end of 2023, which builds on feedback the department received following the publication of ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’. This will provide an update on reform activity. The strategy will set out a long term vision for kinship care and detail how the department can better support children and carers. The department sees this as a pivotal moment for kinship care and is an opportunity to make real and lasting change.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Imagination Library on early years learning.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered the potential merits of providing public funding for the work of the Imagination Library.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of encouraging families to read with their young children.

Claire Coutinho: The Imagination Library is a book gifting programme devoted to inspiring a love of reading in children. The department knows that book sharing supports the kinds of conversations between caregiver and child that promote children’s early language development.The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver a joint £300 million package to transform services for families through a new network of Family Hubs in half of the local authorities in England. This includes over £28 million to invest in evidence-based programmes which support parents to chat, play and read with their children to improve their early development, with priority given to the families that will benefit most.This work is complemented by the Better Health Start for Life campaign, which provides online resources giving parents easy, practical tips to chat, play and read with their child. These resources are accessible at: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/learning-to-talk/learning-to-talk-0-to-6-months/.The department has also launched a procurement round to grant fund voluntary sector organisations to support the home learning environment with a particular focus on supporting disadvantaged groups. Information on this fund is available at: https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/early-years-disadvantage-vcs-grants-2023-25-1.

Department for Business and Trade

Consumers: Rural Areas

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of strengthening consumer protections for people in isolated properties in rural areas to which courier services do not deliver.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government imposes a Universal Service Obligation (USO) on Royal Mail, requiring delivery of parcels up to 20 kilograms 5 days-a-week at uniform rates throughout the UK, with-out any geographical restrictions. Outside of the USO, delivery practices remain commercial decisions for parcel operators. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 require all retailers to provide up front information to consumers regarding any delivery restrictions.

Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress her Department has made on the introduction of a Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Building on constructive industry engagement, the Department for Business and Trade is working at pace to launch a Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme in due course.I invite interested stakeholders, including those from the finance community as well as vessel builders and operators, to make contact with the National Shipbuilding Office and with my Department as we make preparations for the launch.

Personal Care Services: Energy

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of energy costs on the hair and beauty sector; and what meetings (a) she and (b) officials in her Department has had with business leaders from that sector on energy costs.

Kevin Hollinrake: We recognise the importance of hair and beauty businesses and their significant challenges with energy costs. We meet regularly with businesses through ministerial roundtables and official-level engagement.The Government has introduced a range of measures to support businesses with energy costs including the £18bn Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, and the Energy Advice Service. I have also written to Ofgem to discuss small business’ relationships with their energy suppliers and encourage fair treatment.

Lithium: Supply Chains

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of lithium resources available (a) in the UK, (a) in deposits in Cornwall and (b) from recycling on supply chain resilience.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As part of the Critical Minerals Strategy, we are committed to exploring the UK’s geological potential for critical minerals (including lithium) as reflected by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre’s (CMIC) report published on 17 April, “Potential for Critical Raw Material Prospectivity in the UK.” It is a preliminary assessment, and the Government is working with the British Geological Survey to understand next steps.In the case of minerals for electrical vehicle batteries, end-of-life recycling is expected to provide less than 1% of UK demand in 2030. However, by 2040, recycling is expected to account for 10-20% of battery mineral demand for electrical vehicles.To promote recycling and recovery, the Government is funding the £30 million National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme, and UKRI has launched the Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains (CLIMATES) fund, with an initial £15 million to bolster UK rare earth element supply chain resilience.

Department for Business and Trade: Artificial Intelligence

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.

Kevin Hollinrake: As part of the AI regulation White Paper consultation, the Government is engaging closely with regulators across the wider landscape to understand the organisation capacity they need to regulate AI effectively. The Department for Business and Trade sponsors the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). CMA staff recorded approximately 2,300 hours on the CMA’s “AI Foundation Models: Initial Review” project from 27 March to 2 June 2023. This equates to approximately 7 FTE. In addition, given the CMA’s remit other work by CMA staff may have direct or indirect relevance to AI. Decisions on future allocation of CMA resources will depend on the findings of the CMA’s initial review and other demands at that time. The Department directly includes or sponsors a number of other regulators and public bodies, such as the Office for Product Safety and Standards and the Financial Reporting Council. These regulators are not directly responsible for regulating AI but may consider its implications and effects across numerous parts of their work. It is not possible to accurately disaggregate resource working on AI issues for these bodies.

Business: Contracts and Regulation

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Part 4, Chapter 2, of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill, what discussions her Department has had with businesses on (a) its provisions on subscription contracts and (b) the proportionality regulatory principle.

Kevin Hollinrake: In ‘Reforming competition and consumer policy’ Government consulted on options to address consumer harm from unwanted subscription contracts https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-competition-and-consumer-policy. There were 188 responses, including 94 from businesses, business representatives, and trade associations. Alongside the consultation, and since, the department also held regular meetings and roundtables with business representatives. Government analysed the consultation responses, gathering further evidence from businesses where needed, and is implementing the measures which best balance the benefits to consumers and the associated costs to business. The cost to business and benefits to consumers is detailed in our impact assessment "Digital Competition and Consumers Bill: Subscription measures”: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-03/0294/ImpactAssessmentAnnex2.pdf.

Hospitality Industry: Finance

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to provide financial support for the hospitality sector.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government recognises that the hospitality sector is facing financial pressures. The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) will provide all eligible UK businesses and other non-domestic energy users with a discount on high energy bills from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2024. The Government has also announced business rates support measures worth £13.6 billion over the next 5 years.

Visits Abroad: Hong Kong

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June to Question 185347 on Visits Abroad: Hong Kong, which Hong Kong and UK businesses and investors the Minister met.

Nigel Huddleston: The details of the Minister’s meetings with external stakeholders/interlocutors will be published through the quarterly Transparency Return.

Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will hold discussions with Royal Mail on publishing a list of the 20 parliamentary constituencies in which Royal Mail has most frequently failed to meet its universal service obligation.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Postal Services Act 2011 delegates responsibility for the regulation of Royal Mail, as the UK’s universal service provider, including reporting requirements, to Ofcom. The Government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions.

Supermarkets: Prices

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on when it plans to conclude its review of the use of unit pricing in the groceries sector.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government welcomes this review and looks forward to its results. The Department understands the CMA plans to conclude its review this year. Details of the CMA’s review can be found on its website here: https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/unit-pricing.

Park Homes: Fees and Charges

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason the request by National Trading Standards for funding to enable it to resource an investigation into Park Home residents’ pitch fee agreements has been refused; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that consumer legislation to protect park home residents is enforced.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade has not received a request for additional funding from National Trading Standards (NTS) for such an investigation. NTS operates independently and receives funding from the Department to respond to breaches of consumer law significant at a national or regional level. NTS base enforcement decisions on an intelligence-led assessment which determines their priorities. The Government is seeking to strengthen consumer rights and their enforcement through the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill, including through enabling enforcement agencies to impose tougher fines on noncompliant businesses.

Measurement

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress her Department has made on the consultation on choice on units of measurement: markings and sales.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government has received over 100,000 responses to the consultation on the Choice on units of measurement: markings and sales and will publish its response in due course.

Misleading Advertising: Energy

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has guidance on penalties for companies who publish misleading adverts on clean energy claims.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Advertising Standards Authority monitors advertising standards across sectors, including clean energy. Misleading advertising of products and services is a breach of consumer law and subject to criminal penalties.

Delivery Services: Standards

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of regulating (a) Evri and (b) other delivery companies which do not meet expected customer service standards.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Postal Services Act 2011 designates Ofcom as the independent regulator for the postal sector with the powers to impose and enforce regulatory requirements on postal operators to fulfil its functions in relation to postal services. In its review of postal regulation in 2022, Ofcom committed to ongoing monitoring of operators’ performance and keep under review the need for additional regulation to protect consumers. The Government has no plans to seek change to the statutory requirements in this sector.

Leader of the House

Legislative Drafting: Gender

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to the Written Statement of 23 May 2022, Official Report,  HCWS47, on Review of legislative drafting, whether the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel's revised drafting guidance has been approved by Ministers; and whether she plans to place a copy of the approved guidance in the Library of the House.

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 May 2022, Official Report,  HCWS47, on Review of legislative drafting, whether the Guide to Gender-Neutral Drafting published in 2019 by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Government Legal Department has been withdrawn.

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Leader of the House, whether Stonewall was consulted on the drafting of the Guide to Gender-Neutral Drafting published by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Government Legal Department in 2019.

Penny Mordaunt: The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel will publish its revised drafting guidance on GOV.UK in due course, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This guidance will reflect the Government’s position as set out in the Written Statement of 23 May 2022, Official Report, HCWS47.The 2019 Guide to Gender-Neutral Drafting is not a Government publication. It was produced for an external seminar, and although based on guidance of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, it was not published by them. Stonewall was not consulted in relation to either publication.

Treasury

Treasury: Meetings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s declaration of ministerial meetings first published on 15 December 2022, what was the nature of the revision made in the updated version of the document published on 13 June 2023.

Gareth Davies: The updated HMT Ministerial Transparency return with a corrected date for the then Economic Secretary’s meeting with the Institute of Economic Affairs can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1162416/Ministerial_Transparency_Meetings_July-September_2022.csv/preview

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people worked on HMRC's High Risk Wealthy Programme in (a) financial year 2022-23 and (b) each financial year since that programme was created.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC’s High Risk Wealth Programme (HRWP) is just one of a range of approaches used by HMRC to tackle non-compliance. Alongside staff in HMRC’s Wealthy teams, colleagues across HMRC are involved in HRWP including legal and policy specialists with oversight from a cross-directorate steering group. Further information about the HRWP can be found on the GOV.UK Website here:Information about the High-Risk Wealth Programme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Income Tax: Tax Thresholds

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the threshold for the (a) 45 per cent tax rate to £150,000 and (b) 40 per cent tax rate to £60,000 on the public purse.

Victoria Atkins: The Government must ensure the tax system supports strong public finances and it is right that higher earning households shoulder the most burden. The additional rate threshold of income tax is set at £125,140 for 2023-2024. This was announced at Autumn Statement 2022 and was taken as part of a number of decisions to support public finances. Only the top 2 per cent of taxpayers are affected by this change. The higher rate threshold is high enough to protect the vast majority of people from paying the higher rate of income tax. Around 80 per cent of all income taxpayers pay at the basic rate. The Government’s approach to delivering fiscal sustainability is underpinned by fairness, with those on the highest incomes paying a larger share.

Tax Yields

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of reducing (a) corporation tax to 15 per cent, (b) income tax to 18 per cent and (c) capital gains tax to 10 per cent on annual tax receipts.

Victoria Atkins: Spring Budget 2023 delivers a package of measures that further strengthen the UK’s position as one of the most competitive major economies. The economic and fiscal impact of changes in tax policy are factored into the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecasts. Further detail is available in the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook which is published at fiscal events. The Government keeps the tax system under constant review and the Chancellor has signalled his intention to cut business taxes further when it is responsible to do so.

Capital Gains Tax: Income Tax

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on tax receipts if the rate of capital gains tax rate was equal to the rate of income tax.

Victoria Atkins: As set out in the Government’s response to the Office of Tax Simplification's report on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on 30 November 2021, substantial reforms to CGT rates and allowances would involve a number of wider policy trade-offs and so careful thought must be given to the impact that they would have on taxpayers, as well as any additional administrative burden on HMRC. The Government will continue to keep the tax system under review to ensure it is simple and efficient.

Income Tax: Exemptions

Bob Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies make use of the Section 317 exemption of the  Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003.

Victoria Atkins: This information is not collected as the provision of these benefits are not subject to Income Tax or National Insurance contributions, therefore there is nothing for employers to report to HM Revenue & Customs.

Inflation

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Governor of the Bank of England on domestic pressures potentially impacting inflation; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffith: Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. The Government is working closely with the Bank to ensure that monetary and fiscal policy are well coordinated, and fully supports the Bank in their mission to drive down inflation. Consistent with monetary policy independence, the Chancellor has regular meetings with the Governor of the Bank. Open exchange of views in these meetings is critical for the Government and the Bank to understand each other’s views on the outlook for the economy and monetary and fiscal policy, to support policy making in both institutions. These meetings are therefore confidential.

Treasury: Darlington

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money his Department spent in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023 on (i) standard class and (ii) first class train tickets for the purpose of staff travel to the Darlington Economic Campus.

Gareth Davies: HM Treasury’s senior civil servant travel is published as part of HMT’s on-going commitment to transparent reporting and can be found on gov.uk. Please see link below; https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/senior-officials-expenses

Aviation: Private Sector

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of private business flights that departed from all UK airports and airfields per Air Passenger Duty band in 2022.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was raised from private business flights through Air Passenger Duty in 2022 per band of Air Passenger Duty.

Gareth Davies: Information regarding private business flights, airports and airfields is not available, however, the data used in the Air Passenger Duty (APD) publication provides a breakdown of historical receipts, chargeable passengers and liabilities for all APD passenger bands. APD receipts for each band of air passenger duty in January to May 2022 can be found in the Air Passenger Duty Statistics tables, on the APD Bulletin landing page. Data from June to December 2022 will be published in the upcoming June 2023 APD bulletin release.

Energy Supply: Capital Investment

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the potential fiscal impact of the energy security investment mechanism in each financial year from 2023-24 to the end of 2027-28 in comparison with the latest published forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including provision in the Energy Security Investment Mechanism for the Energy Profits Levy tax rate of 75 per cent on North Sea oil and gas production to be reapplied if oil and gas prices exceed the 20-year historic average for two consecutive quarters.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has produced a timetable for implementation of the energy security investment mechanism.

Gareth Davies: The Energy Security Investment Mechanism will permanently disapply the Energy Profits Levy if oil and gas prices fall to historically normal levels for a sustained period before the levy’s March 2028 sunset date. The Energy Security Investment Mechanism uses 20-year historic averages to the end of 2022 so that it is set at $71.40 per barrel of oil and £0.54 per therm of gas. Government will require average prices to meet or fall below the level of both price thresholds for two successive quarters before disapplying the EPL and will set out further details on how this will work in due course. Based on the latest independent Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast, the mechanism will not be triggered before the tax’s planned end date in March 2028.

Treasury: Darlington

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants in his Department were based full time at the Darlington Economic Campus in quarter (a) four of 2021, (b) one of 2022, (c) two of 2022, (d) three of 2022, (e) four of 2022, (f) one of 2023 and (g) two of 2023.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many apprentices are employed by his Department at the Darlington Economic Campus.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil service jobs in his Department have been moved out of London in each of the last five years.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to increase recruitment to civil service roles based at Darlington Economic Campus.

Gareth Davies: Whilst information requested is not publicly available, we will publish information on civil servants working at the Darlington Economic Campus in HM Treasury’s Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 in July 2023.

Energy Supply: Capital Investment

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the energy security investment mechanism will apply to renewable electricity generators.

Gareth Davies: The energy Security Investment Mechanism will apply to the Energy profits Levy only. The EGL and EPL have fundamentally different designs as the EPL is applied to total profits and EGL is applied to a measure of exemptional returns. If wholesale electricity prices consistently fall below the EGL’s benchmark price, for many generators, the levy would cease to apply. Should the crisis abate and prices fall below the benchmark price, the revenue forecast from the levy will not materialise and consideration would be given to the tax’s ongoing application.

Treasury: Darlington

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the average annual cost of the Darlington Economic Campus at Feethams House.

Gareth Davies: HMT is a tenant along with several other departments and the costs of the DEC is managed by the GPA.

Treasury: Darlington

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Darlington Economic Campus on the local economy.

Gareth Davies: HM Treasury is planning to carry out a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of impact of the Darlington Economic Campus as part of HM Treasury’s Evaluation Strategy.

Broadband: Tax Yields

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the annual VAT revenue generated from companies installing business broadband in employee properties.

Victoria Atkins: The information requested is not available. HMRC does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products or services because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden on them.

Broadband: Tax Yields

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what revenues his Department received from taxes on businesses that provide their employees with business broadband for their residential properties in the latest period for which data is available.

Victoria Atkins: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold information on the revenue received from taxes on businesses that provide their employees with business broadband for their residential properties.

Broadband: Taxation

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taxing upgrades to business broadband for non-business properties.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the loss of revenue resulting from ceasing to tax business broadband upgrades for homeowners as a benefit in kind.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the impacts of treating business broadband as a benefit in kind.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential financial merits of maintaining business broadband as a taxable benefit in kind.

Victoria Atkins: The Government’s ambition is to connect at least 85 per cent of UK premises to gigabit-capable broadband by 2025, and for nationwide connectivity (at least 99 per cent) to be realised by 2030. Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion programme that will ensure the whole of the UK benefits from gigabit connectivity by providing subsidy to deliver gigabit-capable connectivity to uncommercial premises, which are typically in rural or remote locations. Over 75 per cent of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, a huge leap forward from July 2019, when coverage was just 8 per cent. Regarding the tax treatment of home broadband, under long-standing rules, payments from employers reimbursing employees for reasonable additional costs they incur while having to work from home are exempt from taxation. This includes the cost of providing broadband to an employee where a connection was not already available, the employee requires broadband to work from home, and the broadband is used mainly for business purposes. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold information on the revenue received from taxes on businesses that provide their employees with business broadband for their residential properties.

Pension Funds: Insolvency

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pension fund holders may be liable for administration costs when pension fund providers are placed into administration.

Andrew Griffith: Whether pension fund holders are liable for administration costs will ultimately depend on the type of pension fund and its rules. Pension funds in the UK can have several different structures, and the structure will affect administration.Defined contribution personal pension schemes, including Self-Invested Personal Pensions, are the type of scheme most likely to enter administration. If such a provider goes into administration, its contractual rules may allow the insolvency practitioner to recover their fees from customers’ accounts. In some cases, the customers may be eligible for compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), although this too will depend on the circumstances.In other cases, if the pension assets are held under trust, the insolvency practitioner may be able to obtain a court order to recover their fees from the trust assets under what is known as the Berkeley Applegate doctrine.

Home Office

British National (Overseas): Hong Kong

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether training is being provided to police officers to help ensure they have appropriate knowledge and skills to support the (a) protection and (b) safety of Hong Kongers living in the UK.

Chris Philp: As you would expect, Home Office officials work closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, as well as other government departments, to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold British National (Overseas) status and other Hongkongers.The College of Policing sets and maintains training standards for policing. The Government is not aware of any training for police officers specifically in relation to Hongkongers ion the UK. However, the Code of Ethics, published by the College in 2014, includes equality and diversity among the standards of professional behaviour in the police.The College’s foundation training for all those entering the service also covers supporting diverse communities. Training in each police force is the responsibility of individual chief officers, according to policing needs and priorities, which may include specific community needs.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many family members of the Afghans who came to the UK under Priority One of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme have subsequently arrived in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The requested breakdown of family members is not available.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s publication of the number of migrants detected crossing the English Channel in small boats on 10 June 2023, first published on 11 June 2023, what was the nature of the revision made to those statistics in the updated version of the publication issued on 12 June 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The data published in these daily reports is provisional and is subject to change. Finalised data on small boat crossings since 2018 is published in the quarterly Irregular migration to the UK release.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for (a) entry clearance (b) permission to stay in the UK for family members of people already in the UK on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (i) have been received, (ii) been granted, (iii) are still awaiting a decision and (iv) have been refused since August 2021.

Robert Jenrick: A breakdown of the data requested is not currently available.

Immigration: Widowed People

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how any people (a) applied for and (b) were granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK as a bereaved partner in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021, (iii) 2022 and (iv) 2023 to date.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to recommence the publication of the number of individuals granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner as part of its quarterly statistics releases.

Robert Jenrick: Due to data quality issues, data on individuals granted indefinite leave as a bereaved partner from 2021 and later cannot currently be provided. We intend to recommence the publication of these numbers once these issues have been resolved.In 2020, 92 people were granted of indefinite leave as a bereaved partner; 84 wives and 8 husbands. Corresponding information on applications is not available.The Home Office publishes data on settlement grants in the Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The available data relates to grants of indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner up to 2020 and are published in table Se_04 of the Settlement data tables.

Refugees: Children

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children accommodated in Home Office operated hotels (a) have gone missing since July 2021 and (b) are missing as of 13 June 2023.

Robert Jenrick: We take the safety of those in our care seriously. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site 24/7 and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.There are 154 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) missing as of 8 June 2023.If any child goes missing, including UASCs, the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. A multi-agency, missing persons meeting is chaired by the local authority to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. Similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.The Home Office continue to work with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe. The police are responsible for locating any missing children.

Asylum: Hotels

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the average length of stay of a family of asylum seekers accommodated in an asylum hotel.

Robert Jenrick: We encourage every Local Authorities who does not currently house supported asylum seekers to support the asylum dispersal scheme so that we can minimise the length of stay in contingency accommodation.

Refugees: Children

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of police forces investigating crimes where the alleged victim is an unaccompanied child who was accommodated in, or went missing from, a Home Office operated hotel.

Robert Jenrick: This information is held by the individual encountering police forces but is not held or collated centrally.

Asylum: Newcastle upon Tyne Central

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 187651 on Asylum: Newcastle upon Tyne Central, in what format the information is held.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested in relation to Question 187651 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual trawl of case records to retrieve.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to support Afghans eligible for resettlement under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy who did not secure housing in the UK before travelling.

Robert Jenrick: The latest Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2023 - GOV.UK (published on 25 May 2023), show that a total of 21,004 people have been resettled in the UK under the Afghan schemes – the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). We do not want to see Afghan families and individuals in bridging accommodation for any longer than is necessary – and we are working alongside c.350 local authorities to support all Afghan families and individuals, including those relocated here under the ARAP, into homes of their own. From the end of April 2023, the government began issuing families and individuals in hotels and serviced accommodation 3 months legal notice to leave their temporary accommodation. Dedicated multi-disciplinary teams, consisting of Home Office Liaison Officers, DWP staff, and local authority officials are based in hotels and provide bespoke support to Afghan households, including information on how to rent in the private sector, find jobs and access English language training. The government is providing £285 million of new funding to local authorities supporting the Afghan resettlement schemes. This includes £35 million in new cash for local authorities, which will go towards increasing the level of support available and overcoming key barriers in accessing the housing system and employment and a £250 million expansion of the Local Authority Housing Fund to help councils to source homes to house Afghans currently in bridging accommodation. More information concerning the support being provided to hotel guests, and additional funding being offered to Local Authorities and Councils can be found here: UK government support for resettled Afghans in bridging accommodation factsheet – April 2023 - Home Office in the media (blog.gov.uk)

Asylum: Hotels

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the cost to the public purse of hotels used to house asylum seekers from January to May 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered. The global pandemic and an increased influx of small boat arrivals has presented us with significant challenges when it comes to the provision of asylum accommodation. We have therefore had to source hotel accommodation across the United Kingdom. Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. The Home Office is currently spending around £7m per day on hotel accommodation. Total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Large Goods Vehicles: Theft

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of thefts of goods and cargo from HGVs stationary at (a) rest stops and (b) other locations have been reported in the last 12 months.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and published data on incidents of theft from commercial vehicles and theft of commercial vehicles as part of the Commercial Victimisation Survey. The department also collects data on the number of incidents of theft from vehicles, including from HGV’s, which have been reported to the police.Neither source provides the information at the level of detail requested. The Home Office does not collect information on whether the vehicle was stationary at the time of the incident or the type of location.Concerning trends in theft more generally, the latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending December 2022 show that overall incidents of theft affecting the household population of England and Wales were down by 47% compared with the year ending March 2010.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the INTERPOL Smart Case Messaging System and Unified Information Architecture Grant.

Tom Tugendhat: INTERPOL’s Smart Case Messaging System and Unified Information Architecture received grants from the Home Office in 2021/2022.These systems are being developed by INTERPOL and, once complete, they will allow for improved communication, interoperability, co-operation and information processing between police forces around the world. They will also improve data quality and security.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Enhancing Law Enforcement Crypto-Currency Capability Grant.

Tom Tugendhat: The Grant for “Enhancing Law Enforcement Crypto-Currency Capability” was awarded by the Home Office to the National Police Cheifs Council, Cyber Crime Portfolio, in financial year 2021-2022 and valid for one year.Law enforcement need a workforce that can understand the increased threat posed by criminal use of cryptoassets to ensure the most effective and robust invesgiative response. The purpose of this Grant was to enable the procurement of online cryptoasset training for law enforcement agencies and partners with Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) powers.The project successfullly secured 750 spaces on the ‘Investigating Cryptocurrencies – Foundation’ course for POCA agencies.

British National (Overseas): Immigration controls

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing British National (Overseas) passport holders to use the same queue as UK, EU, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and US passport holders at the UK Border.

Robert Jenrick: The government is committed to delivering a border experience which will be contactless for the majority of people. As we do so, eligibility to seek leave to enter the UK without the need for manual processing will continue to be regularly reviewed.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Western Balkans SOC Community Coordinator Grant.

Tom Tugendhat: Reducing the threat posed by Western Balkans organised crime groups is a government priority, and this pilot programme plays an important role in the national response.The pilot is in its final year, ending in March 2024, and has been subject to regular Home Office and NPCC monitoring throughout. A programme evaluation, spanning the full duration of the pilot, is due in 2024.

Migrants: Hong Kong

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help protect people from Hong Kong living in the UK from (a) intimidation and (b) violence.

Tom Tugendhat: The UK Government has taken firm action following restrictions on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong, including delivering a UK-wide welcome Programme to support BN(O) (British National Overseas) status holders led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).The Programme includes:funding for local authorities in England to provide English language and destitution support,establishing 12 virtual Welcome Hubs across the UK,funding for organisations to deliver UK-wide and regional projects,a comprehensive Welcome Pack on GOV.UK which advises new arrivals on how to settle into life in the UK.As you would expect, Home Office officials work closely with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and DLUHC, as well as other government departments, to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold BN(O) status and other Hongkongers.As I have made clear previously, freedom of expression is fundamental to who we are as a country. We do not tolerate attempts to silence, intimidate or harm those speaking truth to power. I urge anyone who is experiencing such behaviour to contact the police.

Migrants: Health Services

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an individual is entitled to an Immigration Health Surcharge refund where they have paid the surcharge but have been refused registration with a GP as they were leaving the UK within 6 months.

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people on a charity worker visa who have paid the Immigration Heath Surcharge are entitled to (a) register with a GP and (b) access NHS care.

Robert Jenrick: Primary medical care, which includes access to, and medical care provided by, GP services, is free of charge to all overseas visitors, regardless of immigration status. Individuals, who have been refused registration with a GP are not entitled to a refund of the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). The IHS is paid by temporary migrants who make an application to come to the UK to work, study or join family for more than six months, or to extend their stay in the UK. Payment of the IHS enables migrants to access the NHS on broadly the same basis as UK residents for the duration of their valid immigration permission in the UK.

Torture: Bahrain

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will meet with Bahraini victims of torture.

Tom Tugendhat: His Majesty’s Government does not comment on individual cases but unhesitatingly condemns all forms of torture worldwide.

British Nationality: Ceremonies

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June to Question 187782 on British Nationality: Ceremonies, whether an applicant can take their ceremony outside of the three month window.

Robert Jenrick: The published guidance provides further information on this:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/british-nationals-nationality-policy-guidance.If an applicant asks for an extension of time to attend their ceremony and gives an acceptable reason, an extension of up to 3 months may be allowed (or whatever longer period may be justified by the reason given for the request).

Overseas Students: English Language

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June to Question 187877 on Overseas Students: English Language, how many students suspected by ETS of cheating in its TOEIC English language test were (a) offered (i) the opportunity to retake the test and (ii) a credibility interview and (b) granted leave on the basis of subsequently passing a test or credibility interview more than three years ago.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not publish ETS data as part of the Immigration Systems statistics. For cases affected by ETS, decision makers must follow the current guidance published on 18 November 2020: Educational Testing Service (ETS): casework instructions (accessible version) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she held discussions with the Interior Minister of Bahrain on (a) Hassan Mushaima, (b) Abduljalil al-Singace, (c) Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, (d) Abdulwahab Husain, (e) Sheikh Mohammed Habib al-Muqdad, (f) Mohammed Ramadhan and (g) Husain Moosa in April 2023.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office does not comment on individual cases.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Online Hate Crime Hub Grant.

Miss Sarah Dines: In 2021/22 the Home Office provided a grant of £300,000 to the Online Hate Crime Hub. The Hub consists of a specialist police team based in Greater Manchester Police that works to improve the police response to online hate crime. The Hub provides a service for victims of online hate crime to report these crimes to the police and have cases effectively investigated. The Hub provides expert case management and victim support in relation to these abhorrent offences.This grant award supported the Home Office priority to cut crime and protect vulnerable people and communities.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made on the effectiveness of the Drive Central Team Support Grant.

Miss Sarah Dines: We believe this question relates to statistics from 2021 to 2022, published in March 2023.We awarded £229,204 to the Drive Central team to provide central support to the rollout of Drive projects. This funding ensured safety and quality assurance, data collection and analysis as well as shared learning across the Drive partnership network.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Violence Against Women and Girls By and For Services Grant.

Robert Jenrick: We believe these questions relate to statistics from 2021 to 2022, published in March 2023.Between January 2021 and March 2022 this government allocated £1,079,479 in dedicated funding for specialist 'by and for' services.Rigorous monitoring of these grants was conducted by Home Office officials as part of ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. This took place over the course of the financial year 2021/22, taking into consideration the level of support provided alongside the cost as well as the social impact of ensuring support for victims of domestic abuse.For example, between 2021 and 2022, Signhealth was able to provide support to 2776 disabled victims of domestic abuse, tailored to victims' individual circumstances. Funding allocated to Hourglass allowed for the expansion of the provision of their helpline service to 24/7 availability across the UK, increased volunteer capacity and onboarded more staff members.The Tacking Domestic Abuse Plan 2022 committed to provide an additional £1.5 million in funding to increase provision of 'by and for' specialist services for victims and survivors of all forms of VAWG, including domestic abuse, who face additional barriers to seeking support.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of effectiveness of the Support for Migrant Victims Pilot Scheme (Domestic Abuse) Grant.

Miss Sarah Dines: We believe this question relates to statistics from 2021 to 2022, published in March 2023. Following the Government’s 2020 review of support for migrant victims, in April 2021, we launched the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) Scheme pilot. The 12-month pilot, run by Southall Black Sisters, provided wraparound support including accommodation, subsistence, counselling and legal advice to migrant victims of domestic abuse. An independent evaluation was commissioned to review the delivery of the pilot scheme. Overall, it assessed that the scheme was successful in meeting the immediate needs of migrant victims of domestic abuse. Between April 2021 and March 2022, the scheme supported 425 victims. As committed to in the Domestic Abuse Plan, we allocated up to £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund the Support for Migrant Victim Scheme while we considered lessons learned from the pilot. We have now extended the scheme until March 2025, ensuring we continue to support migrant victims of domestic abuse.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Crucible: Prevent and Investigate Heritage Crime Grant.

Chris Philp: In 2021/22 the Home Office provided a grant of £5,000 to Historic England to purchase of specialist equipment to be used to mechanically mark vulnerable heritage assets and deliver training on its use. Historic England has undertaken a risk assessment to identify the most vulnerable buildings and is undertaking a programme of marking.Marking can be an effective means of identifying stolen metal, in conjunction with the requirement under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 for scrap metal dealers to record descriptions of metal received, such as historical etchings and modern security markings.This grant award supported the Home Office priority to cut crime, protect vulnerable people and communities.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Business Crime Centre - Website and Content Development Grant.

Chris Philp: In 2021/22 the Home Office provided a grant of £75,000 to the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) to develop their website and communications to businesses.The Home Office works closely with the NBCC to reduce crime affecting businesses. The NBCC is a central point of contact between policing representatives and business and provide support and advice for an effective and efficient approach to crime prevention and reduction.This grant award supported the Home Office priority to cut crime, protect vulnerable people and communities.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the College of Policing Homicide Projects Grant.

Chris Philp: The Government grants register, published 31 March 2022, does not include reference to any grants from the Home Office to the College of Policing for homicide for the period 2020 to 2021.The Home Office did issue grants to the College of Policing in 2021 to 2022, which is confirmed in the Government grants register, published 30 March 2023, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1149833/2023-03-28_Government_Grants_Register_2021_to_2022.odsAs per this grant register, the purpose of this funding for the College of Policing was to deliver two priority projects that would help tackle homicide in England and Wales.One project was to develop a national, live problem profile on homicide to help inform the local, regional and national response to homicide; and the second involved working with the University of Kent and a police force to test whether giving police access to A&E domestic abuse data would allow the creation of a model that can more accurately map domestic abuse to predict domestic homicide so forces know where and when to intervene.These two projects with the College of Policing are still ongoing and we are working to understand their impact.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Perpetrator Workforce Development and Consultancy Grant.

Chris Philp: We believe this question relates to statistics from 2021 to 2022, published in March 2023.We awarded SafeLives £87,247.00 and Respect £177,284.00 to develop the skills and scale of the domestic abuse perpetrator workforce to safely meet growing demand for, and provision of services.This work provided tailored strategic support and aided the development of local strategic plans for responding to perpetrators, sharing learning and guidance for commissioners.It also provided a programme of workforce development training and content for courses to futureproof the workforce.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Internet Watch Foundation Grant.

Chris Philp: The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is a technology-led child protection organisation, working alongside industry and law enforcement to find and remove child sexual abuse imagery online. It is a non-profit registered charity, with fee-paying Members comprising more than 175 companies, including some of the giants of the internet world.The Home Office is collaborating with the IWF to support this important work. In particular, work is ongoing between the IWF and the Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) to support law enforcement and help the tech sector to find and remove copies of known child sexual abuse images online.The IWF’s Annual Report for 2022 sets out full details of the IWF’s vital work tackling online child sexual abuse and exploitation, including the IWF CAID Taskforce. It states that, in 2022, the IWF discovered more Category A child sexual abuse material online than ever before and the number of webpages containing Category A material found by the IWF has more than doubled since 2020.

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June to Question 187573 on Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, whether she is taking steps to increase transparency in the functioning of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and whether her Department has received copies of the minutes of the Council since May 2013.

Chris Philp: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is an independent Non-Departmental Public Body, sponsored by the Home Office.The operation of the Council is a matter for the ACMD, although my Department is aware that the ACMD follows and continues to develop its own standard operating procedure for using evidence in its reports.The ACMD routinely publish their reports which can be found on Gov.uk.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will use discretionary powers to ensure that Afghan nationals who (a) served with the British Armed Forces and (b) would have been eligible for resettlement under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme will not face deportation under the Illegal Migration Bill if they arrived in the UK by irregular means.

Robert Jenrick: If an individual meets the conditions of the duty to make arrangements to remove under clause 2 (with the exception of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children) they will be subject to the provisions under the Illegal Migration Bill.If an individual is eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy they should not make dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK but should apply through the scheme.We are taking a regulation making power to include further exceptions to the duty to remove, and we will be considering whether this should be exercised to except additional cohorts from the provisions under the Illegal Migration Bill.

Immigration: Chevening Scholarships Programme

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will grant indefinite leave to remain to (a) Ahmad Abdul Tawfiq and (b) other Afghan Chevening scholars studying in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The UK made an ambitious and generous commitment to help resettle those fleeing persecution and those who served the UK. Since June 2021, we have brought 24,600 people to safety to the UK. This includes British Nationals and their families, Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at-risk, such as campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community.Whilst I cannot comment on individual cases, under Pathway 1, vulnerable and at-risk individuals who arrived in the UK under the Afghan evacuation programme have been the first to be settled under the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). This includes those Chevening scholars who were evacuated, and those who were notified by the UK Government that they had been called forward or specifically authorised for evacuation but were not able to board flights and have subsequently arrived in the UK. Individuals on the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Chevening programmes who were in the UK and did not meet the eligibility requirements for ACRS Pathway 3, which includes Chevening alumni at risk, were granted Indefinite Leave to Remain outside of the Rules, alongside their immediate family members who were also already in the UK. Chevening awards were offered to Afghans resident in safe third countries for the academic year 2022-23. It was made clear to applicants that the scholarship is not an offer of resettlement and that the usual Chevening policy would apply, including the requirement to leave the UK at the end of their scholarship.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Dogs

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of dogs used across HM Prison and Probation Service in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: The attached table represents approximate HMPPS dog numbers by year;Approximate HMPPS dogs by year20105502011550201255320135532014524201552420165242017524201861020197212020721202172120227212023891

Legal Aid Scheme: Manchester and Middlesbrough

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s Early Legal Advice Pilot Scheme, how many clients received legal advice under the terms of the scheme in (a) Manchester and (b) Middlesbrough from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023; and when he will publish the independent evaluation of the impact of the support provided to those clients.

Mike Freer: From November 2022 to March 2023, approximately 27,000 invitations were sent to residents of Manchester and Middlesbrough who were identified as having early-stage housing-related debt, inviting them to participate in the Early Legal Advice Pilot (ELAP).104 people completed the survey to apply to participate (which was necessary for data collection and protection purposes). According to Legal Aid Agency records in May 2023, three individuals from Middlesbrough requested and attended the free legal advice sessions under the pilot and there was no take-up in Manchester up to 31 March 2023. This highlights the challenges of engaging individuals dealing with early-stage housing, debt and social welfare issues.   It is important to note that this phase of the pilot was primarily designed to identify potential issues before considering a larger-scale rollout, rather than aiming to maximise the number of clients served. The evaluation has gathered valuable insights on the nature and implementation of such pilots as well as the barriers to engagement. The evaluation report is currently being finalised and is expected to be published by the end of summer 2023.

First-tier Tribunal: Property

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications to the First-tier Tribunal (property chamber) have been (a) made and (b) decided in each of the last six months for which information is available; and what the average time is between an application being made and it being decided

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on receipts and disposals in the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) which handle applications, appeals and references relating to Residential Property, Land Registration and Agricultural Land & Drainage disputes. Receipt and disposal data for each of the last six months of published statistics is set out in the table below.First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)   Receipts Oct-22782Nov-22952Dec-22914Jan-231,007Feb-23923Mar-231,738  Disposals Oct-22912Nov-22805Dec-22580Jan-23814Feb-23830Mar-23935 The MoJ does not hold figures for the average time between an application being made to a decision.

Special Educational Needs: Appeals

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals to the First -Tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability against decisions by (a) Dorset and (b) Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council on special educational needs (i) were decided in each of the last six months for which data is available and (ii) are awaiting a hearing; and what is the (A) average time and (B) maximum time between an appeal being made and heard.

Mike Freer: Information about appeals to the First -Tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. The table below sets out the number of appeals to the SEND Tribunal against decisions by (a) Dorset and (b) Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for the period 1 December 2022 to 14 June 2023 (the latest period for which data are available):  Dorset (a)Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (b)Dec 202260Jan 202351Feb 202300Mar 202352Apr 202370May 202345Jun 2023 (up to 14/06/23)32 The table below sets out the number of SEND appeals as at 14 June 2003 (the latest period for which data are available) for (a) Dorset and (b) Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (ii) awaiting a hearing; and (A) the average time and (B) the maximum time between an appeal being made and heard as at the same date. Dorset (a)Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (b)Number of appeals awaiting a hearing (ii)38 live appeals15 live appealsAverage time between an appeal being made and heard (A)26 weeks28 weeksMaximum time between an appeal being made and heard (B)65 weeks43 weeks

Children: Custody

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the support his Department provides to parents whose contact with their children is hindered by another parent or guardian.

Mike Freer: The Government is aware of the difficulties that some parents can face in continuing their relationship with their child following parental divorce or separation. Under the current legal framework, a parent can apply for a child arrangements order for the child to live with or spend time with them. The welfare of the child is paramount in any decision regarding child arrangements, including decisions about the nature and extent of parental involvement. The Government is committed to helping more parents resolve their issues earlier without coming to court where it is safe to do so. In March 2021 the Government launched the Mediation Voucher Scheme providing separating couples with children up to £500 towards the cost of mediation. As of 4 June 2023, the scheme has helped over 18,250 families to access mediation and resolve their issues away from the family court. In March 2023 the government announced on an additional £15m to allow the scheme to continue for a further two years. We expect this will support around a further 28,500 families. The Government is currently consulting on how we can best support families resolve their disputes earlier and in the best interests of their children. Our proposals include fully funded pre-court co-parenting programmes and a requirement, in appropriate cases, to make a reasonable attempt to mediate before applying to court.

Administration of Justice: EU Countries

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU on UK citizens who are subject to legal proceedings in an EU country.

Mike Freer: If a UK citizen is subject to civil or criminal proceedings in an EU country, then that country’s domestic laws continue to apply as they did before the UK’s exit, unless an international instrument applies. In legacy cases, the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement may require the application of certain EU rules.

Prisoners' Release: Domestic Abuse

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support domestic abuse victims when the person who abused them has been released from prison.

Edward Argar: The Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme provides valuable support to victims of offenders who receive a sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more, or a hospital order, for a violent or sexual offence. The Scheme enables victims to be informed of key stages of an offender’s sentence, such as if they are transferred to open prison conditions, as well as when the offender is to be released. The Probation Service is currently rolling out an additional scheme, the Victim Notification Scheme, for victims of Stalking and Harassment offences, including Breach of Restraining Order and Breach of Non-molestation order, where any custodial sentence is imposed. This is currently running in four Probation Regions, with further Regions scheduled for rollout this year. The scheme aims to put victims in touch with support services local to them and ensure they are made aware of when the offender is being released from custody.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Vodafone Group

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the merger between Three and Vodafone on his Department's contracts with Vodafone.

David Rutley: As an open economy, this Government welcomes and encourages investment where it supports the Prime Minister's goal of boosting UK growth and jobs, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security. The Government has robust powers under the National Security & Investment Act, which it introduced, to block or impose remedies on transactions that pose a national security risk. As you will appreciate, we cannot comment on specific acquisitions nor the applicability of the National Security and Investment regime. It is the responsibility of Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to assess the impact on consumers and competition in the market, with input from sectoral regulators. The Investment Security Unit works closely with the Competition and Markets Authority on cases that are being considered for both national security and competition reasons. A memorandum of understanding has been agreed between the Investment Security Unit and the CMA to assist joint working. [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021-memorandum-of-understanding/mou-between-beis-and-the-cma-on-the-operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021]

Haiti: Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Haitian counterpart on the Turks and Caicos Islands.

David Rutley: Rising instability in Haiti has led to increased numbers of people departing to nearby countries, including the UK Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). The UK and TCI Governments are working with international partners including the Haitian authorities, and through our role on the UNSC, to build a coordinated response that addresses the root causes of irregular migration from Haiti to TCI. The UK continues to provide TCI with support to strengthen its borders, including through border security expertise and the lease of a maritime surveillance aircraft.

Cuba: Development Aid

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on the level of Official Development Assistance provided to Cuba and of Cuban nationals undertaking military training in Russia to fight with the Russian military in Ukraine.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not currently provide any bilateral ODA funding to Cuba. We will continue to monitor reports that Cuban nationals living in Russia may have joined the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and be fighting in Ukraine. Russia's assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic state. The UK and countries all around the world remain united in condemning Russia's egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter.

Cuba: Russia

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Cuban counterpart on the implications for his policies of Cuban citizens joining the Russian army to fight in the war in Ukraine.

David Rutley: We have and will continue to raise Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine with the Cuban government and will continue to monitor reports that Cuban nationals living in Russia may have joined the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and be fighting in Ukraine. Russia's assault on Ukraine is a premeditated and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic state. The UK and countries all around the world remain united in condemning Russia's egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter.

Developing Countries: Finance

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, who will be representing the UK at the summit for a New Global Financial Pact on 22-23 June 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Prime Minister has requested that I [Minister Mitchell] represent the UK at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact as the Cabinet Minister with responsibility for International Development and Africa. As the UK Governor for five of the biggest Multilateral Development Banks, including the World Bank, I am actively engaged in the reform of the International Financial System and will represent UK views at this summit.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of human rights concerns in Bahrain on diplomatic relations between the UK and Bahrain.

David Rutley: Bahrain is an important partner to the UK and we have a close and long-standing relationship. We benefit from a genuine and open dialogue in which we work together on a range of issues of mutual benefit, including defence, security, trade and investment, and human rights. The FCDO remains committed to supporting Bahrain's human rights reforms, including through projects delivered via the Gulf Strategy Fund. The FCDO's most recent assessment of the human rights situation in Bahrain is in the annual 2021 FCDO Human Rights and Democracy Report, published in December 2022.

Abduljalil Al-Singace

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's document entitled Opinion No. 2 /2023 concerning Abduljalil Abdulla Yusuf Ahmed Al-Singace, published on 25 May 2023; and whether he has made representations to his counterpart in Bahrain to secure his release.

David Rutley: The UK draws on a wide range of sources when assessing human rights in Bahrain. Our close and long-standing ties with Bahrain allow UK Ministers and senior officials to discuss sensitive human rights issues regularly, privately and effectively. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad discussed a range of human rights topics during his visit to Bahrain on Sunday 12 February, including the individual case mentioned. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini oversight body.

British National (Overseas)

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on police knowledge of potential difficulties faced people from Hong Kong living in the UK.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Ministers from the FCDO and Home Office speak regularly on a range of issues. Officials from the FCDO, Home Office and other government departments are working closely to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for Hong Kongers that choose to settle here on the bespoke British Nationals (Overseas) route. That includes the delivery of the next phase of the Welcome Programme, which provides tailored support and guidance to our valued Hong Kong community. As with other UK communities, the safety of Hong Kongers choosing to settle in the UK is paramount.

Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Bahrain on potential upcoming visits by the Crown Prince of Bahrain to the UK.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary has not had recent discussions with his counterpart in Bahrain regarding future visits by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa.

Russia: Sanctions

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the UK's Russian sanctions regime to cover all Russian Military personnel accused of war crimes by Ukrainian authorities.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are steadfast in our resolve to support Ukraine. We have implemented the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy to undermine Russia's war effort. On 19 May, the UK announced a new wave of sanctions against Russia, targeting businesses and individuals connected to Russia's capacity to fund and wage the war. We do not comment on future or individual designations, but those responsible for atrocities committed during the war must be held to account. We are doing all we can to support this.

Noman Masih

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Pakistani authorities on the death sentence passed on Noman Masih in the Punjab province on 30 May.

Leo Docherty: It is our longstanding policy to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We have not raised this specific case with the Government of Pakistan. We continue to urge Pakistan to ensure due process and adherence to international human rights obligations. We press for speedy and fair trials for those accused and urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure the safety of those released.

Persecution of Christians across the Globe Independent Review

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken through the UN Human Rights Council to help implement the recommendations on freedom of religion or belief in the Bishop of Truro’s 2019 Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians.

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK has (a) initiated and (b) supported any UN Human Rights Council resolutions to combat intolerance relating to religion or belief since the Bishop of Truro’s 2019 Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians.

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken through the UN General Assembly to help implement the recommendations on freedom of religion or belief in the Bishop of Truro’s 2019 Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians.

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has taken steps to press the UN Security Council to (a) review and (b) report on how the UN could better respond to violations of freedom of religion or belief (i) during conflicts and (ii) in non-conflict situations since the Bishop of Truro’s 2019 Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Bishop of Truro's review provided recommendations for a Government response to support members of all faiths, beliefs, and those of no religious belief. We have taken forward the 22 recommendations in a way that makes a real change for everyone persecuted because of their religion or belief.We continue to work with UN and other multilateral fora to promote Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. FoRB was a key strand of our successful campaign to be re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term January 2021 to December 2023. In March 2021, Lord Ahmad hosted a meeting at the UN Security Council to raise awareness of persecution of religious minorities in conflict zones such as Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. On 14 June 2023, the UN Security Council adopted unanimously a UK-UAE co-penned resolution on Tolerance and International Peace and Security, including wording on FoRB.

Diplomatic Relations: Human Rights

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) assess and (b) enhance the efficacy of the policy of UK Support for Human Rights Defenders; and what guidance he provides to diplomatic posts abroad on proactive support for civil society.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In 2019, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad launched the guidance document 'UK support for Human Rights Defenders' [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-support-for-human-rights-defenders]. This document was created with significant input from external stakeholders. It sets out how the UK Government engages with Human Rights Defenders globally and reflects our guiding principle of doing no harm. Networks within the FCDO allow learning to be shared about what works in different contexts. We are exploring a range of options to build on our existing guidance and support to Human Rights Defenders. We will also issue new guidance for our teams across the world on how to partner with civil society.

Sudan: Refugees

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to provide consular support to people who have been trafficked to Libya whilst fleeing Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Consular support is severely limited in Libya and the British Embassy in Tripoli does not provide consular services. To date, the FCDO has not received any requests for consular assistance in Libya from British nationals who have been smuggled from Sudan. Should we be approached, the British Embassy in Tunis stands ready to provide consular support to British nationals where possible, but this is severely limited.

Sudan: Refugees

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of (a) how many people were trafficked to Libya while fleeing Sudan and (b) how many such people were awaiting a visa decision on resettlement to the UK.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: As of 14 June, over 500,000 people are estimated to have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries since fighting broke out, with an estimated 1,318 having fled to Libya. This UN figure relates to the number of people who have crossed neighbouring borders, rather than those who have been trafficked. In total, there were 9,812 UK visa applications from Sudanese Nationals between March 2022/23. The Home Office are monitoring the situation in Sudan closely to ensure that we are able to respond appropriately. The UK's current resettlement schemes allow us to support the most vulnerable refugees direct from regions of conflict and instability.

Overseas Investment: Carbon Emissions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that British International Investment supports decarbonisation overseas.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: As part of its Climate Change Strategy, British International Investment (BII) takes an active approach in supporting decarbonisation. BII invests in mitigation solutions across Africa and Asia including renewable energy, low carbon transport, climate smart agriculture, forestry, climate technologies and the deployment of green finance via financial intermediaries. BII supports its investees to reduce emissions and increase their resilience both through investment capital and through technical advisory support.BII is committed to reaching net zero emissions in its investment portfolio by 2050 in a way that supports decarbonisation and sustainable development in the real economy. More details about BII's approach to decarbonisation can be found in BII's Taskforce on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) disclosure and Annual Reviews.

Asylum: LGBT+ People

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to protect overseas families of UK asylum seekers who have fled persecution due to their sexuality.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to promoting the human rights of LGBT+ people around the world and ensuring that no one faces violence or discrimination for being LGBT+. Our Refugee Family Reunion visa scheme allows eligible family members of those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, including LGBT+ refugees, to reunite with them in the UK. Additionally, through our international programmes and diplomatic engagement, we bring communities and governments together to strengthen rights and freedoms. Since 2018, we have provided over £13.5 million of UK-funded projects to empower and build the capacity of grassroots LGBT+ organisations and human rights defenders worldwide.

Refugees: Development Aid

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of the Government's total spending on Official Development Assistance was spent on in-donor refugee costs in financial year 2022-23; how much and what proportion of that spending was disbursed by the Home Office; if he will make an estimate of forecast Official Development Assistance spending on in-donor refugee costs in financial year 2023-24; and if he will make an estimate of how much and what proportion of that spending will be disbursed by the Home Office.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Statistics on International Development is the official source of information on Official Development Assistance (ODA). ODA is measured on a calendar year basis rather than financial year. The latest published data is available on GOV.UK in Statistics on International Development: Provisional UK Aid Spend 2022. Supplementary Table 1 shows that the UK spent £3,686 million on in-donor refugee costs in 2022 on a provisional basis, which was 28.9 per cent of total UK ODA. Of this, the Home Office spent £2,382 million (64.6 percent of the UK's total in-donor refugee costs).Provisional figures for 2023 will be published as normal in Statistics on International Development in Spring 2024.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-provisional-uk-aid-spend-2022

Ghana: Liquefied Natural Gas

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding British International Investment has provided for liquified natural gas projects in Ghana; when the (a) investment was awarded and (b) projects are due to be completed; and how much liquified natural gas is expected to be produced.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: All investments made by British International Investment (BII) are aligned with HMG's fossil fuels and other relevant policy. In 2017, BII made an investment into Africa Infrastructure Investment Fund III (AIIF III), which then invested a proportion of this in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation project, the Tema LNG Import Terminal project, in February 2020. The commercial operations are expected to commence in 2025. This project will not produce natural gas but will have an import capacity to Ghana of 1.7 million tons of gas per year. BII has not invested in LNG production or export projects in Ghana.

British International Investment

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what oversight his Department has of investment decisions taken by British International Investment.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO's governance arrangements for British International Investment (BII) align with good practice guidance from the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury for oversight of a Public Finance Corporation.FCDO sets BII's strategic objectives, goals and parameters for what investments BII can make, via the Investment Policy and Policy on Responsible Investing (PRI). An independent Board chosen for its skills and experience in development and finance oversees BII's performance and is fully accountable to FCDO. Every quarter FCDO receives detailed reporting on BII's investment decisions, which is followed by Quarterly and Annual Shareholder Meetings chaired by FCDO's Director General and Permanent Secretary respectively. At a minimum, the Secretary of State and the BII Chair and Chief Executive meet annually and the Minister for Development meets them quarterly.

Colombia: Police

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to use the £3.6 million pledged for security and peace in Colombia to (a) support the transformation of the National Police and (b) help ensure that civil society are consulted and engaged in this endeavour.

David Rutley: During his visit to Colombia last month, the Foreign Secretary committed £3.6 million from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) in 2023/24 to support the implementation of the Peace Agreement and improve stability and security in Colombia. Through the CSSF fund in Colombia, the UK launched a three year, £2.1 million Police Innovations for Stabilisation in Colombia Programme (SCIP) in 2020, which is helping the transformation of the Colombian National Police.The UK's Global Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, met with civil society organisations and the Colombian Government to discuss the importance of civil society's participation in helping to tackle peace and security issues during her visit to Colombia in April.

Indonesia: Overseas Investment

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is considering making any financial contribution to the proposed Industrial Park in the Banteng Region of Indonesia.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The FCDO is not planning to make a financial contribution to the proposed Industrial Park in the Banteng Region of Indonesia. There is great potential to increase trade and investment flows between the UK and Indonesian as set out in the UK-Indonesia Partnership Roadmap which was launched in April 2022. In February 2022, I [Minister Trevelyan] visited Indonesia as Secretary of State for International Trade to hold the first UK-Indonesia Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO) in support of achieving our joint ambition for our future trade relationship.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Artificial Intelligence

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: As Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems become more powerful, and are put to different use, they will create new opportunities, challenges and risks. The UK Government recognises it will need to act and adapt the way we regulate technologies like AI that are playing an increasingly vital role in our economy and society. The FCDO does not oversee the work of any regulators. As a ​global leader in AI​​, the UK​ ​plays an important role in shaping the international AI governance debate and promoting the UK's regulatory framework and values in international fora, such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Council of Europe, Global Partnership on AI and UNESCO.

China: Sanctions

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to introduce Magnitsky-style sanctions against Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses in Tibet.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are aware of human rights violations in Tibet, including restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, freedom of assembly and association, and reports of forced labour. We coordinate with partners to draw international attention to the human rights situation in Tibet, most recently on 20 May 2023 in the G7 Leaders' Communique, and in March 2023, as part of our Item 4 statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council. It is not appropriate to speculate on who may be sanctioned in the future, as to do so could reduce their impact.

Colombia: Police

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) support the Colombian government and (b) work with civil society organisations in that country to reform the national police.

David Rutley: Since 2015, the UK has committed £80 million through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) to support the peace process and improve stability and security in Colombia. As part of the CSSF funding in Colombia, the UK launched a three year, £2.1 million Police Innovations for Stabilisation in Colombia Programme (SCIP) in 2020, which is helping the transformation of the Colombian National Police.The UK's Global Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, met with civil society organisations and the Colombian Government to discuss the importance of civil society's participation in helping to tackle peace and security issues during her visit to Colombia in April.

Colombia: Peace Negotiations and Police

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to take diplomatic steps to help Colombian civil society participate in the Colombian Government's (a) total peace initiative and (b) reforms to the National Police.

David Rutley: Since 2015, the UK has committed £80 million through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) to support the peace process and help strengthen the security and participation of communities in conflict-affected areas. The UK's Global Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, met with civil society organisations and the Colombian Government to discuss the importance of civil society's participation in helping to tackle peace and security issues during her visit to Colombia last April. Colombia is a Human Rights Priority Country, and we will continue to support civil society organisations that can help Colombia secure sustainable peace across the country.

Ebrahim Raisi: Official Visits

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies on Latin America and the Caribbean of the visit of the President of Iran to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba in June 2023.

David Rutley: UK policy on Latin America and the Caribbean is not affected by the visit of Iranian President Raisi to Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Through the visit, the Iranian regime sought to deepen political, economic and trade relations with the ruling regimes in these three Latin American countries, all of which, like Iran, suffer from serious democratic shortcomings.The UK continues to stand up for UK values and security interests. The Foreign Secretary visited Latin America in May and emphasised the need for respect for sovereignty, democracy and human rights, and to resist systemic threats to these values arising from destabilising states.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy Efficiency Taskforce

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he expects the Energy Efficiency Taskforce to publish a report by 20 July 2023.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Efficiency Taskforce is working through its ideas and a specific publication date for their action plan will follow. Progress is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/energy-efficiency-taskforce

Boilers: Sales

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to ban the sale of new boilers fuelled by (a) non-mains gas, (b) oil and (c) biomass.

Graham Stuart: The Government consulted on proposals to end the installation of heating systems using high carbon fossil fuels in homes, businesses and public buildings off the gas grid during the 2020s. The Government will publish its response to the consultations in due course. The proposals referred to phasing out installation of coal, heating oil and non-mains gas heating systems, but not to biomass. The Government has no current plans to end the sale of new biomass boilers.

Metals: Recycling

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the decarbonisation of the metals recycling sector.

Graham Stuart: The metals recycling sector can bid into a number of government-funded decarbonisation schemes, including the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, the Programme of Research and Innovation for the UK Steel and Metals sector (PRISM) run by the Materials Processing Institute, and the SUSTAIN Future Manufacturing Research Hub headed by Swansea University. Businesses can also benefit from exemptions on business rates for investments in green technologies. The Government has announced a new Business Energy Advice Service that will specifically target SMEs. Working with the Energy Efficiency Taskforce, the Government is reviewing what additional support could help businesses to save energy.

Business: Carbon Emissions

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of replacing Government and EU-funded low-carbon innovation projects to support small businesses which wish to transition to low-carbon practices.

Graham Stuart: Government support is needed both for net zero innovation and for small businesses to adopt low carbon measures. Research and innovation is a key enabler for net zero, driving down the costs of key technologies and processes and creating economic opportunities for innovative UK businesses, including SMEs. This is underpinned by £4.2 billion of government support for net zero research and innovation for 2022-2025. For supporting businesses to adopt low carbon measures, the Government has launched a campaign aimed at increasing the energy efficiency in businesses, charities and public sector bodies. It is also supporting UK businesses to meet their net zero commitments via the UK Business Climate Hub. SMEs are also encouraged to join the UN’s ‘Race to Zero’ initiative and over 4,200 UK small businesses have joined so far.

Electricity: Carbon Emissions and Industry

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report by the Aldersgate Group entitled A zero carbon power grid and the electrification of heavy industry: how to deliver on a twin challenge, published on 27 April 2023.

Graham Stuart: The Government welcomes Aldersgate Group’s report on this important topic. Electrification of industry is key to decarbonisation. The Government provides grants for fuel switching through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund and the Industrial Fuel Switching Competition. This year, the Government will publish a Call for Evidence on enabling industrial electrification. The 2023 Powering Up Britain Plan outlined plans to decarbonise the power generation sector, including how networks act as energy transition enablers. Ofgem has accelerated £20bn worth of network projects, and a review of system and network regulation is underway to ensure the regulatory framework is fit for the future.

National Grid

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential need to increase the capacity of the grid.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to (a) increase the capacity of the grid and (b) improve grid infrastructure.

Andrew Bowie: As set out in the Electricity Networks Strategic Framework, it is anticipated that between £100 billion and £240 billion of investment will be required in the electricity network to enable the energy transition. Government and Ofgem have already taken action to improve strategic planning of the electricity networks, and speed up consenting and regulatory approvals. The Government has appointed Nick Winser as Electricity Networks Commissioner to advise on how we can go further to accelerate timelines for new transmission network infrastructure.

Energy Bills Rebate: Park Homes

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of park home residents in England who were eligible for payments under the Energy Bills Support Scheme; how many applications under the scheme have been received; and how many have been successful.

Amanda Solloway: The Government published its working assumption for the number of eligible park home residents for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS) in October 2022 - https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3341/publications. The latest application figures for the EBSS AF were published on 15 June on GOV.UK - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-support-scheme-alternative-fund-gb-ni-and-alternative-fuel-payment-alternative-fund-applications-made-by-customers The final application figures for the scheme will be published later in the year.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes in pay differentials between (a) E1 and (b) E2 grade salaries on (i) recruitment and (ii) progression.

Dr Andrew Murrison: In November 2022 the Chancellor announced that the National Living Wage would rise from £9.50 per hour to £10.42 per hour. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uplifted the affected salaries of staff to ensure compliance with the new rates from April 2023.This pay rise has affected a number of MOD grades and has led to several grades being paid the same, including Administrative Assistant (AA), Administrative Officer (AO) and Skill Zones 1 and 2 employees. Officials and teams across the department continue to work to understand what this will mean for those in the affected grades and a working group has been set up to consider the impacts of this rise in National Living wage. Any updates will be communicated with all staff in due course.Whilst Defence is pleased that employees of the Department have received this increase to their pay, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and the Civilian Personnel area appreciate that the compression of our grades will have implications. It is a priority for us to communicate with colleagues directly impacted as soon as possible.In addition to this, the Government recently published the pay remit guidance which allows departments to make average pay awards up to 4.5% with an additional flexibility to pay up to a further 0.5% targeted at the lowest paid within the Department. An addendum to this pay remit has also been published, inviting departments to provide a one-off payment of £1,500 in recognition of the pressures felt during the 2022-23 pay year. The Department is currently working to understand what this means for Defence in 2023 and updates on this will be communicated to staff at the earliest available opportunity.

Armed Forces: Surveys

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish regional breakdowns of the armed forces continuous attitudes survey results 2023.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department holds the data in the UK Regular Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey at a (a) national and (b) regional level.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The latest Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) was published on 1 June 2023. The survey has held National Statistics status since 2013, which means it meets the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value.AFCAS utilises a stratified sample by Service and rank, which helps to ensure sufficient representation. Segmenting the data by different demographic variables other than Service or rank, such as by region, would mean we could not be as confident that the results are representative of that group. It would only be possible to construct a regional breakdown by combining AFCAS data with other existing databases. There are no plans to undertake such an exercise given the inherent issues with generating unrepresentative, and therefore unreliable, results.

Armed Forces: Pay

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Question 181366 on Armed Forces: Pay, whether he has received the report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Question 181366 on Armed Forces: Pay, when he plans to publish the report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body’s 2023 report has now been received. The Government is considering their recommendations and will make an announcement shortly. Any pay award will be backdated to 1 April 2023.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to issue medals for nuclear test veterans.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The first Nuclear Test Medals are expected to be available in autumn 2023.

Ukraine: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to replace the capability for the UK armed forces relating to the provision of Stormer armoured vehicles to Ukraine.

James Cartlidge: Work is ongoing to procure both an interim and an enduring successor to Stormer, following the Granting in Kind of platforms to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst commercial options are being explored.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) procurement and (b) whole life cost of the Protected Mobility Pipeline programme.

James Cartlidge: The Protected Mobility Pipeline Programme is in its concept phase, and it would not be appropriate to present any forecasted procurement or whole life costs at this time.

National Security: Cybersecurity

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is has made an assessment of the adequacy of the outputs of the Joint Crypt Key programme.

James Cartlidge: The mandate and outputs of the Joint Crypt Key Programme have been determined through the Departmental capability planning process. Outputs of this programme are subject to annual assessment of their operational and technical adequacy by the Ministry of Defence and the National Cyber Security Centre respectively.

Artillery

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many L118 155mm towed light guns are currently in service with the British Army.

James Cartlidge: 126 L118 105mm Light Guns are currently in service with the British Army.

Defence: Industry

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to update the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy 2021, published on 23 March 2021.

James Cartlidge: Events since the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) was published and the UK's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine have reinforced the key themes of the DSIS - the need to consider industry as a capability in its own right, and closer and earlier dialogue with industry.The DSIS has been reviewed alongside the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper refresh and the Defence Command Paper will outline further how the Government will deliver DSIS.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) capabilities and (b) support his Department has provided to Ukraine to protect its critical national infrastructure since February 2022.

James Heappey: The UK has provided a variety of support to help Ukraine defend its Critical National Infrastructure from Russian attack. This has included thousands of air defence missiles, anti-air guns, physical barriers to protect the most critical equipment, and support to integrate electronic warfare and air defence systems.

Defence

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Defence Strategic Operating Concept has been published.

James Cartlidge: The Integrated Operating Concept (IOpC). It was originally published in Sep 20 and updated in Sep 21. A copy of the IOpC can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-integrated-operating-concept-2025

Watchkeeper WK450

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has his Department spent on the (a) procurement and (b) whole life cost of Watchkeeper.

James Cartlidge: As of 31 May 2023, the Department has spent £1.351 billion on whole life costs related to the Watchkeeper programme, of which £1.114 billion was spent on procurement.

Armed Forces: Housing

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the quality of (a) maintenance and (b) repair work to military accommodation in the period since the implementation of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services contracts in 2022.

James Cartlidge: The quality of maintenance and repair work to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is assessed in a number of ways: There is a requirement for suppliers to carry out a facilities management inspection of every SFA in the first three years of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) accommodation contracts, which began on 1 April 2022. Full condition surveys of our circa 47,900 SFA are undertaken on a six-yearly cycle by qualified surveyors. On average, 8,000 SFA are assessed each year. Condition is assessed against the Decent Homes (DH) Standard. Currently 96% of SFA meets or exceeds the Government's DH Standard. Suppliers have developed 'fast feedback', measuring the customers' initial assessment of the work undertaken; and a metric is included within the FDIS contract to measure the quality of reactive maintenance tasks which is being refined to ensure it is suitably robust.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding his Department is providing to unmanned aerial capabilities.

James Cartlidge: Planned funding since April 2022 is £3.43 billion.

Armed Forces: Housing

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average waiting time was for (a) maintenance and (b) repair works on military accommodation in each of the last three years.

James Cartlidge: The previous National Housing Prime contract, which ran until the end of March 2022, did not report on the average completion times. There was no contractual requirement for the supplier to record data in that way.Since 1 April 2022the implementation of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) Accommodation contracts, there have been three UK Service Family Accommodation (SFA) maintenance response categories which cover maintenance and repairs: Emergency (respond and make safe within 2 hours), Urgent (attend and fix within 48 hours) and Routine (attend and rectify within 12 days). The table below details the average response times for Emergency, Urgent and Routine repairs and maintenance since April 2022: AverageApril 2022April 2023Acceptable Level of PerformanceCompletions in target – Emergency response2.5 hours1.82 hours2 hoursAverage Completion Time – Urgent Response94 hours46.12 hours48 hoursAverage Completion Time – Routine Response8 days9.25 days12 days

Armed Forces: Housing

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much compensation was paid to families living in military accommodation for issues with maintenance repairs in the period since the implementation of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services contracts in 2022.

James Cartlidge: A total of £1,140,244 has been paid in compensation to Service personnel since the implementation of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) accommodation contracts on 1 April 2022, until the period ending April 2023 (the latest date for which figures are available). Compensation payments are administered and funded by the FDIS suppliers at no cost to the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Housing

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce incidences of (a) disrepair, (b) mould and (c) heating issues in service family accommodation.

James Cartlidge: The Department’s priority is modernising homes, tackling damp and mould, replacing kitchens and bathrooms, and improving thermal efficiency to maintain/improve Decent Homes standard.During Financial Year 2022-23, £185 million was invested to improve Service Family Accommodation and prevent them falling into disrepair. This included providing 600 properties with new boilers, 1,200 with new roofs, 1,740 with new doors and windows, and 900 with full external wall insulation.

Armed Forces: Housing

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps the Government has taken to (a) improve the complaints process for families living in service family accommodation and (b) ensure that complaints are dealt with (i) quickly and (ii) effectively.

James Cartlidge: The Department has taken a number of significant steps to improve the complaint process for families living in Service Family Accommodation (SFA), for example; Service Families are now contacted by a National Service Centre (NSC) representative to discuss their complaint within one working day of receipt, against a KPI of five working days.Further the NSC has increased complaint handling resource and do not close the complaint until Regional Accommodation Management Services (RAMS) confirm the repair has been completed and more importantly, the family confirm the works are completed and that they are satisfied.

National Security: Cybersecurity

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Joint Crypt Key programme in meeting its key milestones.

James Cartlidge: The Joint Crypt Key Programme continues to deliver incrementally against approved capability delivery milestones, and has its effectiveness assessed both within the Department and independently by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

Armed Forces: Housing

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) maintenance and (b) repair works on military accommodation in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The amount the Department has spent on maintenance and repair works on Service Faily Accommodation (SFA) in each of the last five years can be found in the table below: YearAmount spent on SFA maintenance and repairs in £millions2018£32.242019£32.352010£35.902021£38.282022£35.09

Ukraine: Guided Weapons

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to replace the capability for the UK armed forces relating to the provision of Starstreak missiles to Ukraine.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor (Alex Chalk) on 15 March 2023, to Question 162114.Guided Weapons: Procurement (docx, 22.7KB)

Guided Weapons

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 188207 on Guided Weapons, what recent estimate he has made of when the aircraft certification process will be completed.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 188207 on Guided Weapons, what recent estimate he has made of when crew training for the operation of Sea Venom will be completed.

James Cartlidge: Aircraft certification is currently forecast to be delivered in 2026. This is the point at which the full weapon system capability for SEA VENOM will be provided to the Royal Navy (RN) and the final modification of Wildcat can commence. The RN already has a number of aircrew trained in the operation of the current capability of the SEA VENOM weapon system. For ground crew, SEA VENOM handling and loading already forms part of the core WILDCAT weapons course delivered by the Wildcat Training Centre.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Watchkeeper, (b) Reaper and (c) other unmanned aerial capabilities are in operational service in the armed forces.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor (Alex Chalk) gave on 24 January 2023 to Question 125262 to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones).Watchkeeper WK450 (docx, 18.1KB)

Army

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to update his Department's publication entitled Future Soldier: Transforming the British Army.

James Heappey: The Army is continuing to implement Future Soldier. This has remained, and will remain, under review as Defence continues to ensure its personnel numbers and force design are fit for purpose. Any specific changes, including whether an update to the Future Soldier guide is required, will be determined following the refresh of the Defence Command Paper.

Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to provide additional funding to protect (a) undersea cables and (b) critical infrastructure.

James Heappey: The Government takes the security and resilience of all at-sea infrastructure, including undersea cables and critical, very seriously. The Ministry of Defence continually reviews its capabilities to ensure we can respond to the latest threats.The Multi Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) programme envisioned the procurement of two ships to boost the UKs capability in the Underwater Battlespace. The first of these was purchased from the commercial spot market this year and is undergoing a period of militarisation ahead of being generated for operations and service in the RFA. The second MROS ship is part of a larger programme to update the Royal Navy's military data gathering capability. The requirements for the ship are being developed but the programme is in the pre-concept phase and no decisions regarding its capability have been taken.

Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the UK Armed Forces' ability to protect undersea cable infrastructure.

James Heappey: The Government takes the security and resilience of all at-sea infrastructure, including undersea cables, very seriously. The Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is the lead department for the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is the lead department for subsea energy cables. Detailing our assessments as to threats and our ability to protect undersea cables would be likely to prejudice the purpose of safeguarding their security and consequently national security. Subsea internet cables are specifically considered in the National Risk Assessment which is kept under review.The Ministry of Defence constantly monitors activity within UK waters and its Economic Exclusion Zone to counter and deter detected threats. British warships frequently patrol throughout the UK marine area and are routed through the North Sea where possible, to deter and increase our visibility of potential threats.

Iraq: Kurds

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are deployed in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; and on what duties.

James Heappey: As of 13 June 2023 there were 154 UK Service personnel deployed to the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Those personnel are deployed under Op SHADER and provide mobility support and force protection to the Counter-DAESH coalition activity under Operation Inherent Resolve.

Ukraine: Air Force

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the efficiency of Ukraine's air defences; and whether his Department plans to offer air defence support to Ukraine.

James Heappey: The robust capabilities of Ukraine's air defence systems continue to deter Russian aircraft from venturing beyond the forward line of their own troops. Regular open-source reporting suggests that Ukraine's air defence is achieving a high success rate against both cruise missiles and one way attack drones.To date, we have provided Ukraine with thousands of short and long-range air defence systems and missiles. This includes Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles and six Stormer vehicles fitted with Starstreak missile launchers.

Office of Net Assessment and Challenge: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff there are in the Secretary of State's Office for Net Assessment and Challenge.

James Heappey: The Secretary of State's Office for Net Assessment and Challenge currently has 30 staff members and aims to have 37 staff members by the end of this financial year.

Defence: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many capabilities have been procured through the urgent capability requirement framework in each year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence does not comment on Urgent Capability Requirements given their direct link with ongoing operations and the opportunity this information would present to an adversary as a result.

Hercules Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what will be the projected savings by retiring the C130J Hercules earlier than originally planned.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave him on 14 June 2022 to Question 13644.Hercules Aircraft (docx, 17.8KB)

Veterans: LGBT+ People

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report entitled Lost and Found: The LGBT+ Veteran Community and the Impacts of the Gay Ban published by Northumbria University on 2 June 2023; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We are proud of our LGBT+ veterans and grateful for their service in defence of our nation. The Government is committed to listening to veterans and improving our services to them. The experiences detailed in the Northumbria University and Fighting with Pride report do not represent what Defence stands for, and it will always be deeply regrettable that any of our personnel were subjected to such treatment. Whilst the research report from Northumbria University and Fighting With Pride provides helpful context to the lived experience of LGBT Veterans, the government is committed to considering the findings and recommendations in Lord Etherton’s LGBT Veterans Independent Review. The government will publish Lord Etherton’s review shortly and respond to its recommendations as soon as it can.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Sheep: Animal Breeding

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of supplies of the Cevac Chlamydia vaccine.

Mark Spencer: The production of veterinary medicines is complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. Manufacturers can experience difficulties from time-to-time for various reasons, from malfunctioning equipment on the production line, to packaging materials that fail to meet the required specification. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) liaises closely with pharmaceutical companies and distributors of medicines to detect potential problems at the earliest point possible in order to support the continued availability of veterinary medicines where possible. In regards to availability of Cevac Chlamydia vaccine, the VMD understand there to be sufficient supply to meet the current national demand, and are in close liaison with the Marketing Authorisation Holder should this status change. As always, to avoid placing undue pressure on supply chains, we encourage veterinary surgeons to continue with normal ordering patterns and to maintain appropriate and proportionate stocks of veterinary medicines.

Food Supply

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve food security in the UK.

Mark Spencer: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply. Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. The next Food Security Report will be published by the end of 2024. The Farm to Fork Summit also took place on 16 May 2023. Discussions focused on bringing great British food to the world; building resilience and transparency; strengthening sustainability and productivity across the supply chain; and growing an innovative, skilled food and farming sector. Engagement with the entire supply chain will continue as we deliver the commitments from the summit.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent pollen or seeds from trials of genetically modified crops from spreading to the surrounding environment.

Mark Spencer: Under existing regulations, consent for release of GM crops for non-marketing purposes requires the applicant to submit a dossier of information. This is scientifically assessed for risk to the environment by our independent scientific expert panel, ACRE (the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment). Their expert advice informs the Secretary of State’s decision to grant consent for release of the GM crop for trial. Consent is only granted if measures are in place to ensure the risk of either pollen or seeds from GM plants entering the environment is negligible. After consent is given, the GM Inspectorate undertakes the inspection and auditing to ensure that the consent conditions specific for each trial are adhered to.

Food: Prices

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential merits of making additional funding available to low-income households to help cover increases in the cost of food.

Mark Spencer: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. We understand concerns about food inflation, and its impact on the costs of living. That’s why tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year, and we’re monitoring all key agricultural commodities so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges they face. The Government recognises the pressures people are facing and has acted, providing total support of over £94bn over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. In April 2023 we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1 per cent, as well as increasing benefit cap levels by the same amount. Through regular engagement, Defra will continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.

Food: Standards

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the remit of the Food Standards and Information Focus Group; who sits on that Group; and what processes are in place for appointing the members of that group.

Mark Spencer: The Food Standards and Information Focus Group is a Trading Standards Officer (TSO) led group providing support to local authorities in the area of food standards and information including labelling. Defra and other organisations are also invited to attend. Responsibility for governance and membership of the Group is for the group itself to determine.

Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2023 to Question 187162 on the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, what his expected timescale is for bringing forward the provisions of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

Mark Spencer: We will be taking forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way.

Water: Standards

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2023 to Question 186323 on Water: Standards, how many discoloration events were recorded by the Drinking Water Inspectorate in each of the last five years, broken down by each water company.

Rebecca Pow: Total discolouration events for the period 2017-2021 subdivided by company are as follows: 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021Affinity Water Ltd3 Affinity Water Ltd1 Anglian Water Services Ltd4 Anglian Water Services Ltd5 Anglian Water Services Ltd5Anglian Water Services Ltd9 Anglian Water Services Ltd3 Bristol Water Plc3 Bristol Water plc4 Bristol Water plc5Northumbrian Essex and Suffolk Water9 Bristol Water plc2 Cambridge Water Company Plc1 Northumbrian Essex and Suffolk Water6 Northumbrian Essex and Suffolk Water7South East Water12 Northumbrian Essex and Suffolk Water4 Northumbrian Essex and Suffolk Water3 SES Water1 SES Water1Southern Water Services Ltd7 South East Water8 South East Water4 South East Water10 South East Water6South Staffordshire Water Plc4 Southern Water Services Ltd8 Southern Water Services Ltd3 Southern Water Services Ltd8 Southern Water Services Ltd5Severn Trent Water Ltd24 South Staffordshire Water Plc5 South Staffordshire Water Plc3 South Staffordshire Water Plc3 South Staffordshire Water Plc1South West and Bournemouth Water11 Severn Trent Water Ltd26 Severn Trent Water Ltd22 Severn Trent Water Ltd17 Severn Trent Water Ltd9Thames Water Utilities Ltd5 South West and Bournemouth Water12 South West and Bournemouth Water10 South West and Bournemouth Water8 South West and Bournemouth Water12United Utilities Water Plc13 Thames Water Utilities Ltd4 Thames Water Utilities Ltd2 Thames Water Utilities Ltd3 Thames Water Utilities Ltd6Wessex Water Services Ltd9 United Utilities Water Plc5 United Utilities Water Plc9 United Utilities Water Plc19 United Utilities Water Plc19Yorkshire Water Services Ltd12 Wessex Water Services Ltd3 Wessex Water Services Ltd3 Wessex Water Services Ltd3 YKS10   Yorkshire Water Services Ltd13 Yorkshire Water Services Ltd8 Yorkshire Water Services Ltd7   Total118  94  75  94  86

Dairy Products

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has conducted research into consumer understanding of the labelling of plant-based alternatives to dairy products.

Mark Spencer: The Government is well aware of the importance for consumers in information that is not misleading and enables them to make fully informed decisions. Defra officials have recently commissioned new research on food information to consumers. Among a range of other things, it will explore consumer understanding of terms used to describe foods marketed as plant based alternatives to dairy products.

Drinking Water Inspectorate: Finance

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2023 to Question 186319 on Drinking Water Inspectorate: Finance, what Drinking Water Inspectorate activities are provided by her Department's funding.

Rebecca Pow: There are two appropriate expenditure elements incurred by the DWI that are not recoverable under The Water Quality and Supply (Fees) Order 2016, and that are funded directly by a contribution from the Department. These are: a) A proportion of the overall DWI’s Senior Management Team (SMT) time. SMT consists of the Chief Inspector supported by two Deputy Chief Inspectors. The specific proportion of the funding from the Department for SMT activities varies from year to year as the range/detail of work by SMT members will also change from year to year depending on the scope regulatory input required. b) The DWI Research Programme and the associated staff cost of its manager. The research programme delivers important regulatory research with external partners in appropriate areas that support regulation on behalf of the sector and ultimately consumers.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on reducing the use of cages for hens.

Mark Spencer: The egg sector is making good progress in moving away from cages. The proportion of eggs that come from caged hens has steadily decreased from 47% of total throughput in Q4 2017, to 21% in Q1 2023. We will continue to work with retailers and producers to ensure we maintain and enhance the high standards of animal health and welfare we have in this country, including on our farms. The Government’s animal welfare priorities for its Animal Health and Welfare Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.

Avian Influenza

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the number of cases of avian flu in the UK; and what information her Department holds on the number of cases in EU countries.

Mark Spencer: Since the start of the current epizootic in October 2021, 344 cases of avian influenza (343 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 and 1 case of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H7N3) have been confirmed in poultry and other captive birds in the UK. Although new cases have slowed, there have been 186 cases (185 cases of HPAI H5N1 and 1 case of LPAI H7N3) since 1 October 2022 (the start of year 2 of the epizootic), including 155 HPAI H5N1 cases in England, 21 HPAI H5N1 cases and 1 LPAI H7N3 case in Scotland, 8 HPAI H5N1 cases in Wales and 1 HPAI H5N1 case in Northern Ireland. This compares to a total of 158 cases of HPAI H5N1 in year one of the epizootic (October 2021 to September 2022), including 134 cases in England, 7 cases in Wales, 11 cases in Scotland, 6 cases in Northern Ireland. Further details on the current situation for HPAI and LPAI in the UK and Europe can be found in the risk and outbreak assessments published on GOV.UK at Avian influenza (bird flu) in Europe, Russia and the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This includes information on outbreaks and events in both domestic poultry, captive birds and wild birds in Europe reported by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the reference laboratory Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe). We continue to monitor the current situation both in Europe and globally, as well as the effectiveness of any disease control measures taken.

Dogs: Artificial Insemination

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much dog semen was imported into the UK under The Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 in each of the last five years; and if she will provide a list of countries that it was imported from.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of dog seamen that is imported into the UK under The Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 is imported by (a) private residents, (b) registered veterinary practices and (c) businesses other than a registered veterinary practice.

Mark Spencer: Data specifically on the import of canine semen is not available. This is because there is a commodity code on the trade systems, TRACES or the Import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS), for semen and embryos but canine semen is recorded under ‘other species’ in this code.

Animals: Customs

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at what locations animals suspected of contravening regulations on (a) smuggling and (b) biosecurity are inspected by the Animal and Plant Health Agency when identified by border officials at (i) Dover and (ii) other UK ports.

Mark Spencer: The term smuggling (concealment) is not common and reflective of the type of non-compliances identified. Smuggled (concealed) consignments will normally be identified by UKBF and referred to the APHA Dover Team for our response. The APHA team in Dover carry out both targeted and random inspections within Dover Port and in Coquelles, France (Eurotunnel), also covering Harwich and Newhaven Ports. Checks are carried out within a secure area of the Ports. At Dover, Harwich and Newhaven, checks are performed by APHA upon arrival into GB. For Eurotunnel checks must be performed within the control zones in Coquelles, France.

Zoos: Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help promote wildlife species native to (a) Australia, (b) New Zealand and (c) Canada in British zoos.

Trudy Harrison: The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 requires zoos provide information to the public about the species of wild animals kept in the zoo and their natural habitats. It is a matter for each zoo to decide what species of wild animal they wish to keep.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has held discussions with the Mayor of London on the potential impact of air pollution levels on the environment.

Rebecca Pow: Local Air Quality Management in London is devolved to the Mayor of London. The current SoS has not held any meetings with the London Mayor on this subject.

Electronic Training Aids

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidence base is for her Department's policy on electronic collars.

Trudy Harrison: The draft Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) Regulations 2023 were developed after considering a broad range of factors. This includes academic research – including Defra-commissioned research (AW1402 and AW1402a) – responses to the public consultation and direct engagement with trainers, behaviourists, e-collar manufacturers, the animal welfare sector, veterinary and dog keeping organisations. In April, the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission also published a report giving its assessment of the available evidence and research, which concluded that use of e-collars should be banned.

Dogs: Imports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs have been imported under the Pet Travel Scheme since December 2019.

Trudy Harrison: YearTotal number of DogsDec 2019 only21,0132020186,6292021165,8712022282,909  This is a summary of animals entering Great Britain under the Pet Travel Scheme via an approved route. It does not include pet animals that enter other parts of the UK (such as Northern Ireland or the Channel Islands) or pet animals that enter Great Britain from other parts of the UK. It does not include any animals that enter Great Britain under the Pet Travel Scheme from the Republic of Ireland (as these movements do not need to follow an approved route).The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. This data can be subject to change as often throughput data from carriers can be received late.

Environment Agency: Natural England

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of merging Natural England with the Environment Agency.

Trudy Harrison: Defra’s arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), including Natural England and the Environment Agency, provide vital services to communities and businesses across the country, while protecting and enhancing the environment. The department is not currently assessing a merger of the two organisations. Defra and its ALBs are continuing to work collaboratively to ensure that we are equipped to drive nature recovery and deliver against this Government’s ambitious outcomes on Net Zero, climate adaptation and the environment.

Dogs: Imports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs have been imported under the Balai Directive since December 2019.

Trudy Harrison: YearNumber of dogs imported under the Balai Directive (EU)December 20192,938202060,189202172,766202237,2842023 (to May 2023)15,152 This information is drawn from the external TRACES and IPAFFS online systems not directly controlled by the department. TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System)IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system)

Forests: Commodities

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to bring forward secondary legislation on due diligence provisions for forest-risk commodities.

Trudy Harrison: We ran a consultation from 3 December 2021 to 11 March 2022 to seek views on the details of regulations that will implement the Environment Act provisions, to ensure that these are designed effectively. The Government published a summary of responses to this consultation on 1 June 2022 and is committed to implementing due diligence provisions at the earliest opportunity through secondary legislation.

Rivers: Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions has he had with water companies on tackling river pollution.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State frequently meets representatives from water companies and the wider water industry to discuss environmental performance.

Waste Disposal: Licensing

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many new waste handler licence applications were refused in Birmingham in the last twelve months.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency National Permitting Service refused no new waste or installations permit applications in Birmingham from the period of June 2022 to June 2023.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with United Utilities on preventing sewage discharge at Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment works.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State and I frequently meet representatives from water companies and the wider water industry to discuss environmental performance. United Utilities are undertaking an urgent repair to a burst pipe at the Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment site. They are working with local teams, including the Environment Agency and local councils to minimise impacts. Defra is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates on progress.

Beaches: Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the quality of bathing water in Fleetwood.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency samples bathing waters, including Fleetwood, 20 times between May and September. Samples are tested for elevated levels of bacteria (E. Coli) which would indicate a presence of organic pollution such as sewage. Fleetwood wastewater treatment works (WwTW) serves towns on the Fylde Coast, Lancashire, including Fleetwood. On 11 June 2023 there was a failure of a discharge pipe at Fleetwood WwTW that is now restricting the outlet from the WwTW. As a result, sewage is backing up at the WwTW and in the sewerage network. In response to the reduction in capacity at the WwTW, and some rainfall, untreated sewage overflowed at various points on the network overnight on 12 and 13 June. This included screened sewage onto the beach at Blackpool. There are eight designated bathing waters that could be impacted in the area, including Fleetwood. The Environment Agency is the regulator of Fleetwood WwTW and is gathering evidence for any potential compliance or enforcement purposes. The Environment Agency continues to maintain an operational presence in the area and is actively involved in multi-agency liaison and response through the Lancashire Resilience Forum.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to (a) estimate the economic cost of wildlife crime, (b) record wildlife crime and (c) measure trends in wildlife crime; and whether she has taken steps to address the recommendations in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime report entitled Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Report: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 6 August 2021.

Trudy Harrison: The UK Government does not hold a figure for the economic cost of wildlife crime in this country but in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2016 report: The rise of environmental crime: A growing threat to natural resources peace, development and security, estimates are made that, globally, poaching and illegal wildlife trade is worth up to £17 billion a year; and natural resources worth as much as USD $91 billion to $258 billion annually are being stolen by criminals, depriving countries of future revenues and development opportunities. This includes illegal logging and fishing. In terms of recording wildlife crime and measuring trends in wildlife crime, at a UK level the Office for National Statistics publishes police-recorded crime statistics, including statistics on wildlife crimes, where available. However, most wildlife crimes are not categorised as notifiable so there is no obligation for UK police forces to report on them. This makes it more challenging to measure trends in wildlife crime and gauge its true extent. Any decision to make offences notifiable sits with the National Crime Registrar at the Home Office. The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), funded partly by Defra and the Home Office, gathers intelligence from a number of organisations in addition to police forces and Border Force. This intelligence informs a Strategic Assessment of wildlife crime in the UK, which is produced every two years and contributes to the setting of the UK’s wildlife crime priorities. With regard to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report (published on 21 December 2021), the Government welcomed this piece of work and the fact it recognised the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment. We have carefully considered all the recommendations of the report and they are informing our work to help us build on the positive progress we have already made in tackling wildlife crime. This will include strategic engagement with our partners that have responsibilities where individual recommendations are concerned such as the devolved administrations, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the NWCU. Progress has already been made in response to the report. For example, in 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the NWCU from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three-year period of 2022-25. Additionally, Border Force has increased numbers in its team specialising in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Defra is not under any obligation to formally respond to the UNODC's assessment and has no plans to do so, but we will identify where we can act, including with stakeholders, to strengthen the UK's approach to tackling wildlife and forestry crime.

Highly Protected Marine Areas: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from (a) the Scottish Government, (b) its Executive Agencies and (c) its Non Departmental Public Bodies on which areas to designate as Highly Protected Marine Areas.

Trudy Harrison: The Scottish Government has the powers to designate MPAs and HPMAs in Scottish inshore waters (up to 12 nautical miles from the coast). The designation of MPAs and HPMAs in offshore waters (more than 12 nautical miles from the coast) are reserved to the UK Government and we work closely with the Scottish Government on matters related to the offshore area. No representation have been received from Scottish Government or others regarding which areas to designate as HPMAs

Horticulture: Peat

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 188243 on Horticulture: Peat, whether her Department plans to publish guidance to assist organisations in determining whether they qualify as professional growers.

Trudy Harrison: Yes, as our legislative proposals are developed suitable guidance will be published in the normal way.

Marine Animals: Fishing Catches

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of compliance with the legal requirement for fishing vessels to report marine mammal bycatch.

Mark Spencer: The Government recognises that accidental bycatch in fisheries is one of the greatest threats faced by sensitive marine species such as cetaceans, and we remain fully committed to tackling this issue. The UK introduced new rules in 2021 making it a mandatory requirement under fishing vessel licence conditions for fishers to report any marine mammal bycatch to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). On the introduction of this requirement, communications were sent out by Defra, the Devolved Administrations and the MMO to ensure that industry understood the new obligations. MMO is planning to communicate again with fishers this summer in order to ensure that rules are clear, and skippers comply with requirements. Responsibility for enforcing licence conditions in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Devolved Administrations.

National Park Authorities: Public Appointments

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the provisions in her Department's guidance for the appointment of Parish Councillors to National Park Authorities which exclude co-opted councillors are mandatory and enforceable by the National Park Authority.

Trudy Harrison: National Park Authorities do not appoint members to their boards. Parish members are appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs following an election among the eligible parishes. It is our policy that only democratically elected Parish Councillors are eligible. This is to ensure that those seats on the board provide the vital democratic legitimacy and accountability that Parish and Local Authority members bring to National Park Authority boards.

Forests

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on the regeneration of woodland of the number of hectares of natural colonisation that have been established in England through the woodland creation offer.

Trudy Harrison: Natural colonisation has the potential to be a useful approach for woodland creation when utilised on appropriate sites, as an alternative to or complementing conventional planting. Through careful planning and management, allowing and helping natural processes to colonise land with trees can create woodlands with a structurally diverse range of habitats, while appearing natural in the landscape. That is why we are providing innovative grant finance and guidance to support natural colonisation through the England Woodland Creation Offer, as well as other grants. So far, the England Woodland Creation Offer has had 77 applications and agreements that include natural colonisation with a total area of 214 hectares. We are exploring ways to increase the uptake natural colonisation grants, and in support of this we are investing £1.1m to better understand the mechanics of natural colonisation.

Biodiversity

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress she has made on meeting Aichi biodiversity target 11.

Trudy Harrison: Aichi biodiversity target 11 has now been superseded by the more ambitious target 3 in the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15 in December 2022. This target sets out the commitment to protect at least 30% of global land and of global ocean by 2030. The Government has committed to achieving this 30by30 target in the UK. Each of the four countries in the UK has committed to achieving 30by30 on land in their own territory. In England, we have established a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering 40% of our waters. On land, 26% of England is currently designated as a protected area. Our Environmental Improvement Plan sets out our drive to halt the decline of nature by 2030, including strengthening our protected areas’ delivery for nature, extending and creating new protected areas and wildlife-rich habitat beyond these, and investing in habitat restoration.  We will continue to take further action to meet the 30by30 target. We are also working internationally to support other countries to deliver the 30by30 target. At COP15, the UK announced up to £29 million to support developing countries to deliver the 30by30 target on land. The UK is currently the Ocean Co-Chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People (HAC for N&P), which champions the 30by30 target for both land and ocean and will soon be supporting members to implement the target by facilitating knowledge-sharing and match-making financial and technical assistance. We also continue to lead the Global Ocean Alliance (GOA), championing international ocean action including by supporting implementation of the KMGBF (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework) in the ocean.

Renewable Energy: Environment Protection

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has in place to ensure renewable energy (a) facilities and (b) infrastructure do not damage natural habitats and ecosystems in which they are constructed.

Trudy Harrison: The Government remains committed to delivering on our legally binding targets to achieve clean, safe, healthy, biologically diverse and productive seas, whilst supporting renewable energy development to meet our Net Zero targets. All renewable energy developments will go through a planning and consenting process. Depending on the size and nature of the development, different Government departments, regulators and statutory nature conservation bodies will be involved. Each development will be assessed for its potential to impact natural habitats and species. Appropriate mitigation and, if necessary, compensation measures will be specified. The Government intends to mandate biodiversity net gain for all new major development under the Town and Country Planning Act (1990) from November this year, for minor development from April 2024 and for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects from 2025.

Environment Agency: Vacancies

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff vacancies there were in the Environment Agency as of 12 June 2023.

Rebecca Pow: As of 31 May 2023, the Environment Agency has 139 full-time equivalent (FTE) vacancies across the whole organisation. The data is up until May only as our central contract with SSCL (through Cabinet Office) provides FTE reports once a month.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Leasehold: Service Charges

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that a leaseholder who purchased a lease after 14th February 2022, and who would qualify for protection from building safety costs based on their own circumstances, does not inherit a non-qualifying status from thepreviousowner.

Lee Rowley: The protected status of a property and its lease is based on its status on 14 February 2022 and is automatically transferred to future buyers of the lease. This means that if the property was not eligible for the protections on 14 February 2022, when in due course it is sold, the buyer does not benefit from those protections. This applies in the other direction as well; a flat protected on 14 February remains protected when sold.All leaseholders - qualifying or not - are now fully protected in law from paying towards the remediation of both unsafe cladding systems and non-cladding defects if their landlord is - or is associated with - the developer who is responsible for that safety defect.The proposed Responsible Actors Scheme would require eligible developers to remediate life-critical fire-safety defects in residential buildings of 11 metres or more which they had a role in developing or refurbishing over the 30 years prior to 5 April 2022, or face being prohibited from carrying out major development or obtaining building control approvals. Already, 48 of the country's largest developers have signed a contract committing to remediate buildings the developed, ahead of the new statutory scheme being approved by Parliament.  In addition, all leaseholders can benefit from the funding the government has made for the remediation of unsafe cladding.

Housing: Climate Change

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report entitled UK housing: Fit for the future?, published by the Climate Change Committee on 21 February 2019.

Lee Rowley: The Government carefully considers all Climate Change Committee reports, including their 2019 report UK housing: Fit for the Future?  when developing policy designed to contribute towards the Government's commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Temporary Accommodation: Medical Treatments

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of stem cell transplant recipients that have applied for temporary accommodation due to the cost of treatments.

Felicity Buchan: This department does not collect information on stem cell transplant recipients in temporary accommodation. Statutory homelessness data (HCLIC) includes information on households in temporary accommodation and can be found here .

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Temporary Accommodation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of people on the Homes for Ukraine scheme are being housed in temporary accommodation.

Felicity Buchan: As we set out previously, we always knew that a proportion of our arrivals on the Homes for Ukraine scheme would end up relying on LA temporary accommodation services and that’s why we provided councils with a tariff for each arrival to allow them to plan appropriately.Data on the number of Ukrainians, including those on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, in temporary accommodation is available here.

Buildings: Repairs and Maintenance

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department have produced guidance for public buildings affected by Reinforced Autocalved Aerated Concrete.

Lee Rowley: Government departments are working together on this issue. Guidance has been published by the Department for Education that will help building owners understand the process of assessing, investigating and developing a Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) management and remediation strategy; although it is aimed at the education sector the general principles are applicable to all buildings. Additionally, a report published by the Institute for Structural Engineers will help improve awareness of RAAC amongst the wider structural engineering community and assist those who are asked by clients to advise on the management and mitigation of RAAC panels.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has appointed a reviewer to conduct a review of voter ID changes at the May 2023 local elections.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish the terms of reference for the review of voter ID changes.

Dehenna Davison: As the Government set out in the House of Lords debate titled Voter Identification Regulations 2022 on 13 December 2022 (Official Report HL, Volume 826, Column 566), the report on voter identification and the polls held in May 2023 will be compiled by an independent research agency. Further details will be set out in due course. We will publish the evaluation report on the policy in November 2023.

Park Homes: Fees and Charges

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to implement its commitment in 2018 to (a) legislate to simplify complex company and opaque structures used to limit the security of tenure of park home residents and (b) amend the definition of pitch fees to prevent the use of variable service charges for park home residents in pitch fee agreements.

Rachel Maclean: We have made significant progress on the implementation of our 2018 commitments, including supporting my Honourable Friend's Private Member's Bill which will change the inflationary index used in pitch fee reviews from the retail price index to the lower consumer price index.We remain focused on improving the sector and will introduce primary legislation to implement our remaining commitments, when the parliamentary timetable allows.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Deductions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the decision to reduce the maximum rate of deductions from 30 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance to 25 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance.

Guy Opperman: The reduction in the maximum rate of UC deduction for debt repayments from 30% to 25% has negligible costs which are in the region of £10m in the period April 2021 to April 2025. Given DWP’s ability to continually collect debt from working age benefits and pensions the nature of DWP debt write-offs only results from customers who die with no-estate.

Children: Maintenance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183091 on Children: Maintenance, what the average waiting time is between an application to the court and outcome; and whether his Department has set a target on the proportion of applications that result in an outcome.

Mims Davies: The Child Maintenance Service has an expectation of a successful outcome in every case we send to the court. The average clearance between an application to the court and outcome is 16 weeks.

Universal Credit: Payments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households on Universal Credit requested a Split Payment Alternative Payment Arrangement in February 2023.

Guy Opperman: The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Domestic Abuse

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many households receiving Universal Credit either member of the household (a) had notified his Department of financial mismanagement or financial abuse, (b) had notified his Department that there were domestic violence issues and (c) was found to be unable or unwilling to budget for their own or their family’s basic day-to-day needs in February 2023.

Guy Opperman: The information requested cannot be provided because it is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Cost of Living Payments

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason his Department set the assessment period for the first cost of living payment for 2023 from 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023.

Mims Davies: The qualifying date is as close to the payment date as possible so that only those who have recently received an eligible means-tested benefit receive a Cost of Living PaymentThis means that claimants who received a nil award during the qualifying period would not be entitled to a Cost of Living Payment. Most nil awards will be as a result of increased earnings.Paying those with financial resources available, which would make them ineligible for means-tested benefits, is not the intention of the Cost of Living Payments which are aimed at those on the lowest incomes.

Jobcentres: Staff

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if it is his Department's policy for Job Centre Work Coaches to not supply personal references for their customers.

Guy Opperman: The department does not have any policy that would prevent a Work Coach providing a personal reference for a customer.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) Universal Credit and (b) Employment and Support Allowance claimants with limited capability (i) for work and (ii) work-related activity have voluntarily sought employment support from a Jobcentre in each of the last 12 months for which this data is available.

Guy Opperman: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the letter of 9 May 2023 from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on his constituent's case, reference MC2022/102475.

Mims Davies: A reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member was sent by the relevant Minister on 16 June 2023.

Universal Credit: Applications

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a remote ID verification process for people applying for Universal Credit from remote and island communities.

Guy Opperman: When applying for Universal Credit (UC), a claimant is required to confirm their identity by using the on-line service, as part of the claim process. Where a claimant has not attempted online verification, or has attempted and failed, then they will be asked to attend a face-to-face interview (F2F). This process would be different for each claimant including those from remote and island communities. It is necessary to undertake this to ensure the claimant is who they say they are and to prevent fraud.

Statutory Sick Pay

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the proportion of workers who were not eligible for statutory sick pay in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Pursglove: Information on the proportion of workers who were not eligible for Statutory Sick Pay over the last ten years is not readily available and to produce it would incur a disproportionate cost.

Access to Work Programme: Standards

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications made to the Access to Work Scheme are outstanding as of 14 June 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The Department's Access to Work Scheme had 23,063 applications outstanding as of 14 June 2023. Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Statutory Sick Pay

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the number of people who have claimed statutory sick pay for each year from 2015 to 2023.

Tom Pursglove: Statutory Sick Pay is administered and paid by employers, and information on recipients is not held by government. Therefore, we are not able to make a robust assessment on the number of people who have claimed SSP in each year from 2015 to 2023.

Local Housing Allowance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse following the freezing of Local Housing Allowance rates at their 2020-21 level in the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24 financial years.

Mims Davies: The baseline for costings is that LHA rates will be maintained at the elevated cash rates agreed for 2020/21, an investment which cost around £1 billion per year. This means maintaining rates in cash terms would not provide any savings for the Department.

Social Security Benefits: Deductions

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefits claimants have had third-party deductions taken directly from their benefits payments in each of the past 10 years.

Tom Pursglove: Third Party Deductions information is only available from 2018. Table 1 provides the volume of households subject to at least one Third Party Deduction for each financial year from April 2018 to February 2023. The latest figures show that between April 2022 and February 2023 there were 912,200 households on Universal Credit that had at least one Third Party Deduction. Table 1: Number of Universal Credit households in Great Britain with at least one Third Party Deduction for the time periods shownDateNumber of householdsApr-18 to Mar-19179,500Apr-19 to Mar-20594,000Apr-20 to Mar-21823,100Apr-21 to Mar-22917,900Apr-22 to Feb-23912,200 Notes:1. The number of households have been rounded to the nearest hundred.2. Household level figures have been provided. Please note that some households will have more than one Third Party Deduction within the time period provided. The volumes capture households that have at least one deduction in that time period.3. Third Party Deductions contains debt types such as rent arrears, court fines and child maintenance (Last Resort Deductions and Enforcing Social Obligations Deductions).4. Complete data for Third Party Debts is only available from 2018.5. Data up to February 2023 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.6. The data for 2018/19 only provides data for Universal Credit full-service claims. Data on Universal Credit live service for 2018/19 is not available. In May 2016 the Universal Credit full service for all claimant types began to rollout nationally and was completed by the end of 2018.7. Comparison across the different financial years is problematic due to changes in the deductions policy for Universal Credit, which would have affected the number of households having a Third-Party Deduction.8. Figures have been provided for Universal Credit households in Great Britain. Northern Ireland claims are administered by the Department for Communities.9. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.10. The methodology used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series and therefore, figures may not be comparable.

Employment Schemes: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department is forecast to spend on (a) all nationally contracted employment support programmes, (b) Access to Work and (c) Universal Support in the financial years (i) 2023-24, (ii) 2024-25, (iii) 2025-26, (iv) 2026-27, (v) 2027-28 and (vi) 2028-29.

Tom Pursglove: The DWP is committed to supporting people to get into, remain in, and progress in, employment. We therefore provide a wide range of support, including work coach support within Jobcentres, nationally contracted employment support, Access to Work, and programmes in partnership with other bodies, including the Department of Health and Social Care. The Government announced a wide-reaching package at the Spring Budget, including Universal Support, which builds on this existing support. Information for forecast spend is available for the current Spending Review period for the following programmes, as follows:a) Spend on nationally contracted employment support programmes is forecast to be £510m in 2023-24 and £440m in 2024-25;b) Spend on Access to Work grants is forecast to be £190m in 2023-2024 and £200m in 2024-25; andc) The Spring Budget 2023 figures announced for Universal Support remain our estimate of costs at this early stage of the financial year. The forecast for the programme will be revised in the second half of the financial year as implementation plans progress.

Unemployment: Older People

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many economically inactive people aged between 50 and 64 have presented at a Jobcentre voluntarily seeking employment support in each of the last 12 months for which this data is available.

Guy Opperman: The department does not hold the information requested. The department does not routinely record the number of people who attend a Jobcentre without a scheduled appointment or information on the individual circumstances of people who visit a Jobcentre voluntarily.

Carer's Allowance

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the average time taken to process Carers Allowance claims made since May 2020.

Tom Pursglove: The Average Actual Clearance Time (AACT) to process a claim for Carer’s Allowance, for each of the tax years from April 2021 to May 2023, is shown in the table below: Tax YearAACT21/2238.9 days22/2323.1 days23/24 *15.2 days* April & May 2023 data onlySource: Carer’s Allowance Computer System

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been employed by his Department to investigate suspected benefit fraud in each year since 2017.

Tom Pursglove: The table below provides the average staffing (full-time equivalent) utilised for investigating benefit fraud for the years requested. YearAverage staff (full-time equivalent) investigating benefit fraud2017-181359.02018-191245.22019-201358.72020-21128.92021-22543.32022-231022.02023-24*1076.6*Average (full-time equivalent) over April and May 2023 For years 2020-21 and 2021-22, the Covid-19 pandemic impacted DWP’s Fraud Investigation Service, with large numbers of staff redeployed to support the unprecedented demand for financial support. These numbers do not include our Compliance staff, who carry out robust and challenging interviews to ensure benefit claimants receive their correct entitlement, nor staff employed on preventative fraud work, for example our Enhanced Review Team, who are delivering significant savings for the Department as part of our shift to disrupting fraud at the outset. Our fraud plan, ‘Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System’, published May 2022, sets out our plans to recruit additional staff into our counter-fraud teams, and we continue to recruit and train new fraud investigators in order to maximise our headcount post Covid. It should be noted that training an investigator can take anywhere between 12 and 18 months.

Severe Disability Premium

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the severe disability premium.

Tom Pursglove: The Severe Disability Premium was abolished for claims to Universal Credit for working age people as a result of the Welfare Reform Act in 2012. The Severe Disability Premium is currently still paid to eligible claimants in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance. It is being phased out as people move to UC.

Carers

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of kinship carers who have (a) temporarily and (b) permanently withdrawn from the labour market as a result of their caring responsibilities in the last 12 months.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not held by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Carer's Allowance

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals have successfully made a claim for Carers Allowance (a) once, (b) twice and (c) three or more times since 2013.

Tom Pursglove: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Child Benefit: Food Banks

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of families subject to the two-child benefits cap using foodbanks.

Mims Davies: This government is committed to understanding and addressing poverty which is why we have published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time in March 2023.National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available here. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024. In 2021/22, 20% of individuals in families with three or more children in receipt of UC, or 0.3m people, were living in households where a food bank has been used in the 12 months prior to the interview. For children, this figure is 20% (0.2m children). Not all these families will be subject to the two-child benefit cap. Since 6 April 2017, families can claim support for up to two children, and there may be further entitlement for other children if they were born before 6 April 2017 or if an exception applies. DWP is committed to supporting families and helping parents into work. This requires a balanced system that provides strong work incentives and support for those who need it, but that also ensures a sense of fairness to the taxpayer and many working families who do not see their incomes rise when they have more children.

State Retirement Pensions: Age

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the state pension age for construction workers.

Laura Trott: The Government believes that the principle of having a State Pension age that is the same for everybody is fundamental in the UK. It has the merit of simplicity and clarity including giving a clear signal to those planning for retirement.

Department for Transport

Speed Limits: Artificial Intelligence

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using artificial intelligence technologies in vehicles to detect local speed limits in residential areas.

Mr Richard Holden: No assessment has to date been made.

Speed Limits

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the number of 20 mph speed limit zones in effect in England as of 13 June 2023.

Mr Richard Holden: Local authorities have the power to set 20mph zones (which have traffic calming) and 20mph limits (which rely on signage). No central record is kept of the number or length of 20mph zones and limits in England.

Traffic Lights

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of schemes to use traffic signals at peak times only on (a) junctions and (b) roundabouts.

Mr Richard Holden: Decisions on whether to implement part-time traffic lights are for local authorities to make. As such the Department has made no such assessment. As mentioned in my response to UIN 188610 I would be happy to discuss specific examples with the Rt Hon. Member and my officials.

Railways: Biofuels

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for (a) Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and (b) other biofuels to decarbonise railways pending full electrification.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to encourage the use of (a) Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and (b) other biofuels on non-electrified parts of the railway network.

Huw Merriman: In Decarbonising Transport: a Better, Greener Britain, the government committed to deliver a net zero rail network by 2050. Our ambition is to remove all diesel-only trains (passenger and freight) from the network by 2040. As we decarbonise the railway, we are working with GBRTT to bring forward costed options for government to carefully consider in terms of overall deliverability and affordability. This will involve working closely with operators and manufacturers on assessing and deploying the most appropriate traction technology. This includes electrification, alternate fuels (such as Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil), as well as hydrogen, battery or bi-mode and hybrid traction technology. The Low Carbon Fuel Strategy, which the Department intends to publish later this year, will set out possible scenarios for the deployment of low carbon fuels across all transport sectors out to 2050.

High Speed 2 Line: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for finalising the land requirement for the HS2 Washwood Heath rolling stock maintenance depot; and what recent estimate he has made of when land will be released for commercial redevelopment at the site.

Huw Merriman: The Schedule 17 planning application for the Washwood Heath Depot has recently received consent from Birmingham City Council, which confirms the land required for the Depot. The design and extent of the environmental mitigation measures to the south of the depot are well underway, with a planning application likely to be submitted later this year. Once the extent of these measures are confirmed, the commercial development proposals can be matured. The forecast timeline for the commercial development depends upon a number of factors as described above and may be subject to change. The land will be released once the depot site has been completed.

Transpennine Express: Nationalisation

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential cost of bringing TransPennine Express into public ownership.

Huw Merriman: The decision was made balancing a number of factors, with outcomes for passengers the priority. An indicative assessment suggests that although some areas may see increased costs, there are expected to be offsetting savings elsewhere. The 2023/24 budget for the operator is unchanged.

Transport: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of transport links from (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield.

Mr Richard Holden: Transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL).In terms of National Rail services operating in Enfield, the Department monitors rail punctuality closely. It continues to engage with Greater Anglia (GA), Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Network Rail. For the 2022-23 rail year, GA’s On Time performance on the West Anglia Main Line route which serves Enfield North was 82.1%. GTR’s performance was 87.3% at stations in the constituency. These figures are above the national average of 67.8% for the same period.

Shipping: Accidents

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2023 to Question 185600 on Shipping: Rescue Services, how many and what proportion of the serious injuries and deaths on UK registered fishing vessels with a registered length of less than or equal to 10m have occurred as the result of a medical incident, condition or illness in each of the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: I refer the Hon. Member to the Answer given on 25th May 2023.

Taxis: Standards

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to introduce national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicles.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government remains committed to bring forward legislation to create national licensing standards for taxis and private hire vehicles, enhanced enforcement powers and a national licensing database, when parliamentary time allows.

Motor Vehicles: Technology

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of hands-off driving technology in non-automated vehicle on (a) safety and (b) the frequency drivers conducting non-driving related activities whilst the vehicle is in operation.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with international vehicle technical regulators on the approval of Ford’s BlueCruise technology.

Jesse Norman: Each application for approval of ‘hands-off’ technologies is considered on its own merits. The Vehicle Certification Agency evaluated the Ford BlueCruise system is at least as safe as existing ‘hands-on’ systems available in the market. This was in part due to more sophisticated camera-based driver monitoring being utilised that can better determine if the driver is paying attention to the road and warn them more promptly if not. It is expected that this will significantly reduce the risks of drivers inappropriately engaging in non-driving activities.The Department for Transport is engaging with vehicle technical regulators at the UNECE’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations to develop new harmonised requirements for advanced driver assistance systems, including hands-free functions such as Ford’s BlueCruise technology.

Large Goods Vehicles

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 61293 on Large Goods Vehicles, whether he plans to publish the findings of the further work commissioned to consider the risks identified by the feasibility study.

Mr Richard Holden: Yes, the Department plans to publish the findings of the further work based upon the Longer Heavier Vehicle Feasibility Study published in August 2022. This further work is being conducted by consultants WSP, Apollo Vehicle Safety and Risk Solutions.

Aviation: Taxation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a frequent flyer levy.

Jesse Norman: Matters related to taxation are the responsibility of HM Treasury.

Driving Licences: Community Transport

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering a reduced fee rate for the D1 driving licence training and exam for drivers who are only using the licence for volunteering with a community bus service.

Mr Richard Holden: There is no provision within the regulations to vary a test fee for any vehicle category in response to varying different kinds of usage.

Motor Vehicles: Noise

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the results of the noise camera pilots.

Mr Richard Holden: Roadside trials of noise camera technology commenced on 18 October 2022 and finished on 1 February 2023. The Department is reviewing the trial outcomes before considering next steps.

Motor Vehicles: Noise

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has carried out of the effectiveness of the noise camera trials at tackling noise pollution from antisocial drivers.

Mr Richard Holden: Roadside trials of noise camera technology commenced on 18 October 2022 and finished on 1 February 2023. The Department is reviewing the trial outcomes before considering next steps.

High Speed 2 Line

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the next High Speed Two 6-monthly report to Parliament.

Huw Merriman: Today.

Sheffield Station

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of capacity at Sheffield railway station.

Huw Merriman: The Department has recently remitted Network Rail £3.5m as part of the Sheffield Station Capacity scheme, to assess the viability of extending platforms 2c and 7 and providing a turnback to the north at platform 6, along with associated track works, to improve the capacity and resilience of Sheffield station. If Network Rail consider there is a viable proposition, they will submit a Decision to Deliver later in 2023 to be considered by the Department. Network Rail is also considering the case for a longer-term rail study for the Sheffield area.

Leeds Station

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of capacity at Leeds railway station.

Huw Merriman: Leeds is one of the busiest stations in the North of England and a key regional hub, with c30m passengers using it each year. It is also one of the UK’s most congested rail centres and regularly suffers from overcrowding. In February 2023, the Department approved £36.4m of funding for Network Rail to complete detailed design work on the Leeds Existing Station Programme (LESP), which aims to resolve critical station capacity issues and build resilience to accommodate future rail programmes. We expect to receive a Full Business Case for the scheme by the end of 2024. The Department is also working with Network Rail to increase capacity at Leeds Station through a Leeds Area Improvement Programme. This is a rolling programme involving platform, track, and signalling infrastructure that will further increase capacity, resilience and performance for the benefit of the overall passenger service.

Manchester Piccadilly Station

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of capacity at Manchester Piccadilly railway station.

Huw Merriman: This government set up the Manchester Task Force to assess the issues in Manchester and deliver a track and train strategy to improve services for the passenger. The Task Force assessed the capacity and performance at Manchester Piccadilly as part of the development of the December 2022 timetable. The successful implementation of this timetable, which has significantly reduced delays within Manchester, is the first phase in the programme. Last month this government announced a further £72m infrastructure package around Manchester Victoria to make train journeys for passengers more reliable in Greater Manchester. I look forward to receiving further business cases, including interventions at Manchester Airport, Oxford Road and the modernisation of the Liverpool to Manchester route via Warrington Central in the foreseeable future.

Motorcycles: Software

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making Intelligent Speed Assistance software mandatory for motorcycles sold in the UK.

Mr Richard Holden: There has not been an assessment of making Intelligent Speed Assistance software mandatory for motorcycles sold in the UK.

Motor Vehicles: Anti-social Behaviour

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to prevent illegal modifications being made to vehicles in England.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department is committed to ensuring that vehicles meet relevant safety, environmental and construction standards, which are periodically updated. These have been important in reducing air and noise pollution from vehicles and improving vehicle safety. Vehicle owners have relative freedom to modify their vehicles, subject to ongoing compliance with relevant standards. Compliance is monitored by the Department’s Market Surveillance Unit based in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Current and past market surveillance activity includes targeted investigation of illegal vehicle modifications. These will be prosecuted where there is sufficient evidence to do so.

Bus Services: Finance

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what was the average length time between allocating funding and buses operating for buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department has not estimated this.

Transport: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of transport links from (a) Ellesmere Port and (b) Neston.

Mr Richard Holden: My Department has made significant investment in local transport links in this area. For example, in 2023/24 Cheshire West & Chester Council received an additional £1.765m from the £200m announced in the Budget on top of their £11.899m for local highways through the Integrated Transport Block. Ellesmere Port was also awarded £13.37m from the Levelling up Fund to support active travel links across the town. As the local authority, Cheshire West and Chester Council has primary responsibility for transport in this area.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the inclusion of her Department's work on end-of-life considerations for recreational vessels in the Clean Maritime Plan Refresh.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department intends to publish an updated version of the Clean Maritime Plan in late 2023. This update will set out the next steps for decarbonising the UK’s maritime sector. Department officials are engaging across government, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on all our developing interventions to drive the sector to net zero, to ensure relevant policies are consulted on.

Railways: Cleaning Services

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing travel facilities for outsourced rail cleaners across the railway industry.

Huw Merriman: The Department does not hold this information. This is a matter between the employer and the contractor.

Rail Delivery Group: Concessions

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any (a) directors or (b) Board members of the Rail Delivery Group are entitled to (i) free rail travel and (ii) rail staff travel facilities.

Huw Merriman: The renumeration packages between the organisation and Board members or Directors are a matter for the individual organisations. The Rail Delivery Group is an independent third party.

Railways: Students

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the affordability of rail travel for people in full-time education.

Huw Merriman: There are a range of discounts available to students in full-time education to help with the cost of rail travel. All children under 16 receive 50 per cent off all adult fares, and in 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver, extending this to 16 and 17 year-olds, meaning that a 50 per cent discount is available to children throughout their period of compulsory education and training. For students aged 18 and above, including mature students over the age of 25 studying full-time, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel.

Railways: Tickets

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of ticket office closures at railway stations on passenger experience.

Huw Merriman: Together with industry we want to modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to more visible and accessible roles around the station. Staff will be better placed to assist passengers who need additional support and to provide face-to-face help in customer focused roles. Industry is also looking to expand digital ticketing options further and make them even easier for passengers to use. Throughout this process, Industry and the Department are engaging with accessibility groups including DPTAC and other advocacy groups. To propose any changes to the opening hours, or the closure of ticket offices, Train Operating Companies (TOCs) must follow the process set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA). This sets out how TOCs must consider the needs of all passengers when proposing alternative arrangements and includes a consultation for the public to raise any objections.

Network Rail: Concessions

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any directors of Network Rail are entitled to (a) free rail travel and (b) rail staff travel facilities.

Huw Merriman: The Non-Executive Directors of Network Rail are not entitled to any free travel as a result of their position on the Board. The Network Rail Executive Directors are entitled to apply for an annual or six-monthly interest free loan to purchase a home-to-work season ticket. The Executive Directors are also entitled to receive a 75% discount off train tickets for them and eligible family members for leisure travel in Great Britain. Both these benefits in kind are available to all Network Rail employees.

Railway Stations: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide an update on the feasibility study into the prospects of reopening St. Anne's railway station in Bristol.

Huw Merriman: The strategic outline business case for the proposed re-opening of St Anne’s station has been submitted to my Department as part of the Restoring Your Railway programme. An announcement on the next steps for the project is expected in due course.

Active Travel: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the level of funding for active travel on the level of vehicle emissions in the next five years.

Jesse Norman: The Transport Decarbonisation Plan, published in 2021, set out the range of greenhouse gas emissions savings projected to be delivered by 2050 as a result of active travel policies. As the Plan sets out, the Department will continue to adapt its plans and take further action if needed to decarbonise transport, including publishing progress and reviewing the pathway at least every five years.

Walking: Children

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of whether his Department will meet its target of increasing the proportion of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school to 55 per cent by 2025.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. The most recent National Travel Survey statistics for 2021 show that the proportion of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school was 49 per cent. The latest statistics for 2022 are due to be published in September 2023 and the Government will provide a further assessment in its next report to Parliament.

Cycling: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has been made of the (a) adequacy of funding arrangements for Bikeability and (b) Government’s progress on meeting the target of reaching every child with Bikeability lessons by the time they leave primary school.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has increased the funding available for Bikeability each year since 2020 and is providing at least £21 million in the financial year of 2023-24. This is sufficient for half a million children to attend Bikeability cycle training. The Department remains committed to offering Bikeability cycle training to every child that wants it and is considering additional actions and investment to meet this target. Provisional figures from the Bikeability Trust show that the proportion of year 6 children outside London that received basic road training by the end of primary school was at 51 per cent in 2022/23.

Active Travel: Levelling Up Fund

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Active Travel England has had recent discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the potential merits of conducting design assessments of active travel schemes funded by the Levelling Up Fund.

Jesse Norman: Active Travel England will conduct design assessments of all active travel schemes funded by the Levelling Up Fund.

Cycleways: Finance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the level of funding required to maintain the National Cycle Network; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government has not made an assessment of the level of funding required to maintain the National Cycle Network (NCN). The NCN is made up of over 12,000 miles of signed on and off-road routes across the UK. Sustrans manage the NCN and rely on a variety of partners to maintain and grow the Network, including landowners, highway authorities, and national and local government.

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether ministers in his Department are provided with training (a) in general and (b) on the Ministerial Code.

Jesse Norman: Ministers are provided with a range of training when they enter the department. The type of training varies depending on their experience as a Minister. The Ministerial code, provided when appointed, gives advice and guidance on the standards of conduct that they are expected to uphold and the way in which they should discharge their duties. Ministers are also traditionally able to seek further advice and guidance within the department.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment her Department have made of the potential merits of banning conversion therapy for trans people; and if she will make a statement on the conversion therapy ban.

Stuart Andrew: There is clear evidence associating conversion practices with a range of significant harms. The Government remains committed to protecting everyone from these abhorrent practices, including those who are targeted on the basis of being transgender. We will shortly publish a draft Bill and consultation response setting out our approach. The draft legislation will go for pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Committee in this parliamentary session.

Conversion Therapy

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress the Government has made on a ban on all forms of conversion therapy.

Aaron Bell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the Government plans to publish draft legislation banning conversion practices.

Paul Howell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to complete pre-legislative scrutiny on the bill to ban conversion therapy in this parliamentary term.

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when pre-legislative scrutiny on the draft bill to ban conversion therapy will commence.

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps she has taken to ban conversion therapy; and if she will make a statement.

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to introduce a bill to ban conversion therapy in this parliamentary term.

Dr Jamie Wallis: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress her Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals for the proposed ban on conversion therapy.

Stuart Andrew: The Government remains committed to protecting everyone who is at risk of conversion practices from harm, and will shortly publish a draft Bill and consultation response setting out our approach to banning these abhorrent practices. The draft legislation will go for pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Committee in this parliamentary session.

Scotland Office

Law Officers: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has received representations from the Scottish Government requesting that the UK Government contribute to its consultation on the proposed separation of the functions of Scotland’s law officers.

Mr Alister Jack: I have received no representations from the Scottish Government in relation to a consultation on the proposed separation of the functions of the Lord Advocate.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Broadband

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what guidance her Department issues on whether Building Digital UK vouchers are transferable assets if a broadband company falls into administration.

Sir John Whittingdale: Building Digital UK (BDUK) monitors the general health of the voucher suppliers it works with on the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Any vouchers issued under the scheme are owned by the beneficiary, rather than the supplier assigned to the project, however only the supplier assigned to the project by BDUK can claim the funding.If a voucher supplier goes into administration, BDUK will review options for ensuring premises included in any of their voucher projects can be covered through one of our programmes. If the supplier is acquired by another company, the new owner may retain the vouchers projects through formal, mutual agreement. Alternatively, the premises covered by the vouchers could be incorporated into a Project Gigabit procurement or existing contract.

Housing: Internet Service Providers

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of house builders refusing to allow broadband Internet Service Providers other than one they have chosen onto their estates.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government has legislated to make sure that new homes will have gigabit connectivity as standard, amending the Building Regulations 2010 to place obligations on housing developers to work with network operators to install gigabit broadband, where this can be done within a commercial cost cap. This ensures that connectivity of new homes is prioritised by housing developers at the outset.Under this legislation, housing developers are free to work with whichever Internet Service Provider (ISP) they choose, with the terms and conditions under which they enter into agreements being a commercial matter. Many Communications Providers (CPs)s offer wholesale access to their networks, but it is ultimately a choice for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to decide which networks they use to serve customers.Ofcom, as the independent regulator for telecoms, is responsible for regulating monopolies in the telecoms market. Where it determines a provider has significant market power (SMP), it can impose a number of remedies aimed at opening up levels of competition, including requiring them to allow competitors to offer services over their infrastructure at regulated prices. Currently, Ofcom has determined that BT Group and KCOM have SMP in the UK, but to date it has not done so with other providers.

Telephone Services

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of her Department's progress towards the 2025 target for the public switched telephone network switch-over; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that this target is reached.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that vulnerable customers are not negatively impacted by the public switched telephone network switch off.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of awareness among (a) consumers and (b) businesses of the public switched telephone network switch off; and what steps she is taking to improve awareness of the switch off.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plan to publicise the public switched telephone network switch off.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with relevant industry stakeholders on the public switched telephone network switch off.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is a privately-owned telecommunications network. Communications providers are in the process of upgrading the old PSTN to new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Consumers can expect to be upgraded by 2025. The migration is industry-led and does not result from any government decision or form part of any government programme.Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process, such as ensuring uninterrupted access to the emergency services and protecting vulnerable consumers. Ofcom has published guidance which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers who are dependent on their landline. Providers have a range of solutions to ensure vulnerable consumers receive additional support. These options include, among others, free battery back-up units to engineer supported installations or hybrid landline phones.We are working together with Ofcom to ensure customers receive appropriate levels of communication and vulnerable consumers are protected. Ofcom requires that providers must engage in effective communications. In January 2023, we published a webpage on GOV.UK to provide information to consumers about the PSTN migration.As this is an industry-led migration, Communications Providers will contact their customers with information ahead of their line being upgraded. The exact migration process will depend on the provider and the type of equipment the customer has at their premises.The Department meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss the progress they have made in migrating their customers, and to ensure they have adequate plans in place to inform their customers and protect vulnerable consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, quarterly progress meetings with individual providers, quarterly meetings with Communications Providers and all government departments, and quarterly meetings with Ofcom. The Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure also convened a roundtable with the largest providers in January 2023 to discuss their communications plans.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Children

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2023 to Question 176799 on Television: Children, whether she plans to publish her Department's assessment of the contestable funding model.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2023 to Question 176799 on Television: Children, when she expects Ofcom’s to publish its review of the free-to-air market and the interests of children.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government is conducting an assessment of the contestable funding model to consider its impact and the long-term sustainability of this kind of funding, next steps will be set out in due course. As required by the scheme, the BFI commissioned and published an independent evaluation of the Young Audiences Content Fund in December 2022. That evaluation is available here.Ofcom set out in their “Plan of Work” for 2023/24, published on 14 December 2022, that they would take an in-depth look at how the market is serving the interests of children. It will be for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to determine when to publish its findings.

Cricket: Equality

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2023 to Question 136779 on Cricket: Equality, what discussions she has had with the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket on the publication date of its full report.

Stuart Andrew: As noted in my answer to Question 136799, the timing of the report’s publication is a matter for the Commission. I look forward to the report and hope that the relevant cricket authorities will take close account of its findings to drive cultural change across the sport.

Football: World Cup

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken with media stakeholders to help ensure that the FIFA Women's World Cup will be show on television.

Stuart Andrew: Last summer we witnessed a major success in women’s sport as our very own Lionesses beat Germany at Wembley to lift the UEFA European Championship trophy. The Women’s World Cup this summer will again shine a light on women’s football and we want to make the most of this opportunity.The Secretary of State made clear the need for a solution to FIFA and a statement was also published in May signed by the Governments of the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy urging both parties to reach an agreement. I welcome the announcement made on 14 June that all 64 matches in this summer's women's World Cup will be broadcast live on the BBC and ITV so our nation can cheer on their heroes as they take on the world at the Women's World Cup this summer and continue to inspire future generations.

BBC: Local Broadcasting

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has held with (a) BBC management and (b) Ofcom on conducting equality impact assessments on changes to BBC local radio coverage for (i) elderly, (ii) disabled and (iii) black and minority ethnic people.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to BBC local radio coverage on (i) elderly, (ii) disabled and (iii) black and minority ethnic people.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government remains disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local output. Ministers have met with the BBC on several occasions since the announcement where they have expressed the concerns shared across the House about the BBC’s plans.While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, the Government has been clear with the Chair of the BBC Board and the Director General that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK. These services are a key part of the BBC’s public service remit and an example of how the BBC can use its licence fee funding to provide content that is directly relevant to audiences, particularly in areas that may be underserved by the market.The BBC is editorially and operationally independent, and the decision over whether to proceed with, and consider the potential impacts for audiences of these changes under their public sector equality duty, is for them.The Government also expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. As part of this, the BBC will be required to monitor the impact of changes on audiences and publish more information about how it delivers high quality, distinctive content and services for audiences across the UK.